Gene's Funeral Service Video

Eugene "Gene" Michael Riedl died at his assisted living home in Prairie Village, Kansas, with his wife, Virgie, by his side on August 9, 2025, at the age of 97. Gene was born to Lloyd and Della (Derfus) Riedl on May 16, 1928, in Hortonville, Wisconsin. Throughout his life, his mantra to his children and his students was "Leave the world a better place from you having lived here." His other favorite was "Make every day a great day!" Gene played the trumpet and was an outstanding athlete at Hortonville High School, graduating in 1946. That same year, he joined the Army National Guard, rising to the rank of Sergeant. He worked his way through college at UW Oshkosh (then called the State Teachers College at Oshkosh) by working for his father and uncle in their house painting business every summer and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1950. He went on to earn a Master of Education degree from Marquette University in 1966. Just three years after graduating from UW-O, while teaching in Madison, Gene was invited by the Hortonville superintendent to become the kindergarten through eighth grade school principal in his hometown. He always laughed when he recalled that his duties as principal included being a teacher and the janitor as well. He continued serving the Hortonville Area School District until his retirement in May of 1992. His 39 years with the district yielded many innovations and successes that were copied by other districts and the state. Gene was constantly learning new ways to make his school better. He consolidated the little one-room country schoolhouses into a single campus to offer the highest quality education and extracurricular activities to every student. He instituted Individually Guided Education that the state adopted for use throughout Wisconsin. He wrote hundreds of regularly published Parent Briefs to keep parents informed and engaged with Hortonville Elementary. He said that his goal was to produce a quality product (the students) and a satisfied customer (the taxpayers). In 1986, Gene was named the Elementary School Principal of the Year and the overall Principal of the Year in the State of Wisconsin. He loved his profession and worked tirelessly to have the best school, no matter the size of the district. He finished his career as the first principal of Greenville Elementary School. His work enriched thousands of students' lives, and he was proud of all of them as well as his teachers and support staff. Gene was awarded many honors for his work as an educator and as an active member of his community. One of his notable accomplishments was being the initiator, founding member, and the first secretary of the Grandview Golf Club in Hortonville. He was instrumental in obtaining the land and organizing its board of directors. Gene was honored for his work with the Outagamie County Housing Authority, where he facilitated the building of low-income housing in the Fox Valley, including in his hometown. He also initiated and facilitated the construction of the Otto Miller Sports Complex in Hortonville. He was active and had leadership roles in the Lion's Club (president), the Commercial Club, the Parish Council, Fox Valley Association on Individually Guided Education, the Library Board (president), Association of Wisconsin School Administrators, State Superintendent's Advisory Council for Teacher Education and Certification, Wisconsin Elementary Principals Association, UW-O Educare, Citizens for American Legion Baseball (president), and WIAA Junior High Advisory Council (chairman). Suffice it to say he was always giving his time and talent back to his community. Gene enjoyed golfing, fishing at the family cottage on Roberts Lake in northern Wisconsin, and all forms of sports. After retirement, he replaced the cottage that he had largely built himself with a home and moved to the lake. Following the lead of his good friends Russ and Irene Tiedemann, Gene started spending winters in Bella Vista, Arkansas, a golf-centered retirement village. It was there that he met and fell in love with Virgie Reese. They had much in common and spent many very happy years together golfing, attending social events such as dances and concerts, and travelling. They married in 2002. Due to advancing age, they moved to the Kansas City area to be closer to Virgie's family. Special love and gratitude go to Virgie, who, at 99 years old, insisted on caring for Gene as his health gradually declined. She was his shining star. Gene is survived by his wife, Virgie, and his children Bill (Diane), Steve (Rosemarie), David (Barb), and Kathy (George) Turcsan. He is survived by his grandchildren Christine (Mike) Roth, Cyndi (Mitch) Draxler, Caitlyn (Brian) Lewis, Andrea (Raul) Torres, Jeremy Riedl, Austin (Katie) Riedl, and Abby Riedl, and by his great-grandchildren Claire, Elise, Will, Riley, Carly, Collin, Olivia, and Amy. He is also survived by his brother Jim (Alyce) Riedl. Gene was preceded in death by his first wife, Dorothy Riedl, his brother, Reginald, his sister-in-law, Judy Riedl, and his granddaughter, Patience Riedl. Thanks, Dad for teaching us the virtues of hard work and finding a career that you love. Thanks for fueling in us a desire for learning, supporting us on our journeys, and living life to its full potential. The world is a better place. Well done.

The Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 17, 2025 at Borchardt & Moder Funeral Home in Hortonville, Wisconsin with Father Phil Schoofs as celebrant. The visitation will be held at the funeral home from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service.