BJ retirees at Gene McClellan reception

 Tom Moore, Dave Cummings and John Olesky

It seemed fitting that the post-funeral reception for retired printer Gene McClellan felt like a monthly lunch at Papa Joe's Restaurant. -- despite the DJ and music and dozens of people at the Ancient Order of Hiberians Mark Heffernan Division social club at 2000 Brown Street in Akron,

Dave Cummings, a former composing room employee who was the only remaining printer  still setting ads till his recent retirement, was there talking about Gene's penchant for bringing vintage cars back to life. So was Tom Moore, newsroom retiree. And John Olesky, another newsroom retiree.

Tom and John and Gene were regulars at the monthly BJ retirees lunch at Papa Joe's on Akron/Peninsula Road at Portage Trail Extension. Gene was the most faithful attendee -- 88 of the 89 most recent monthly lunches. Tom is off to Florida in October and November every year to handle Roy Hobbs World Series daily newspapers for the older amateur baseball players to read about themselves. John is off to one of 50 countries and 43 states he's visited. So both missed Papa Joe's lunches. But not Gene.

Dave, Tom and John got to meet Gene's daughters, Erin of San Luis Obispo, California and Tracy of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and son Dean, who lives in Japan (he was there in the service and liked it so well he never left, maybe because his wife is Japanese).

And Gene's brother, Richard, who lives in Mogadore and was Gene's co-conspirator in reviving vintage cars. Gene had as many as five autos -- one a Porsche -- and a motorcycle in his two garages for the McClellan brothers to work on.

Gene A. McClellan, 73, of Mogadore, born Dec. 6, 1938 to the late Earl and Eileen McClellan, passed away March 19.