Eugene L. Bilich 'Gene'

Eugene L. Bilich, age 80 A memorial gathering for family and friends will be held on Saturday, March 3 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at Mueller Funeral Home, W63 N527 Hanover Ave., Cedarburg for Eugene Louis Bilich, who died on February 24th, 2012. Gene was born in Cleveland, Ohio on December 14, 1931 to Louis and Florence (McGinnis) Bilich. A music lover since childhood, he sang in his high school chorus and musical productions. After serving four years in the U.S. Air Force, he attended Case Western Reserve University where he sang with the men's Glee Club while earning a degree in Electrical Engineering. His engineering jobs took him to Ft. Wayne, Indiana (Magnavox); Minneapolis (Honeywell); and Milwaukee (Louis Allis), but everywhere he lived, he sang in musicals, choirs and operettas. He performed in many of Milwaukee's Skylight Opera Company’s productions in the 1970s and 80s. He also was a lifelong hiker and bicyclist, and passionate about environmental preservation. In 1982, Gene and his son, David, founded DyneSystems Co., based on a digital electronic dynamometer controller that they developed together, serving customers in Milwaukee and worldwide. He retired in 2000 and the company was taken over by his daughter and her husband. Now known as Dyne Systems, Inc., the company has left the family, but is still located in Jackson, Wis. In retirement, Gene moved to a small farm near Cedarburg where he cultivated fruit trees, vegetables and flowers. He founded and directed the Cedarburg Senior Chorus for several years, and also directed the Port Washington Senior Chorus for a time. He continued to sing to whoever would listen, even into the last months of his life at Lasata Care Center. Not limiting himself to only vocal music, he enjoyed listening to his sons playing guitar and mandolin, and attended every concert of the various groups in which his daughter directs or plays clarinet. But his greatest joy was attending choral concerts, especially of Wisconsin Lutheran College and the Milwaukee Children’s Choir. Gene hosted many family reunions and took the family on vacation to Europe and western United States. Gene and his rich baritone voice will be greatly missed. He is survived by his sisters Lucille (George) Zivkovich of Willoughby, OH, Joan Bilich of Exeter, NH and Lynne Glaeske (Rene Knetsch) of Denver, CO; his three children, Diana (Jerry) Jonen of Slinger, Wis.; Daniel (Denise) of Alsea, OR; and David (Lisa) of Coeur d'Alene, ID; and two granddaughters Rachael (Steven) Jonen-Persons and Rebecca (Thomas) Varebrook of Milwaukee; and special friend and companion Julie Bliss of Cedarburg. He is preceded in death by his parents and his sister Ruth Owens of Willoughby, OH. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate any donations to be made payable to Milwaukee Children’s Choir.