Eugene "Gene" A. Cvancara

As a family we want to express what an amazing life our husband and father Eugene “Gene” Cvancara lived.   He was born on September 1, 1935 and started his life living in a tar paper shack on the family homestead in Ross, North Dakota.  After his grandparents passed away, the family moved into the main farmhouse.  Gene recalled how they lived an hour outside of town.  The kids would put stones on the pot belly stove and wrap them in blankets that they placed at their feet in the open sleigh for the ride into town.

Gene quit school after 6th grade and helped on the farm.   At 16 years old, Gene lied to get a job as a roughneck and drove to Texas to work.  This not only gave him an excellent job, but he came back to his hometown and was able to help put the crop in with his family.  He had been so proud and excited to help his family as an “adult”.

He returned to Texas to finish his job and at 18 years old, he signed up for the Army.   He finished boot camp and was stationed in Fort Belvoir in Virginia.  He was trained in the Army Corp of Engineers and upon completion of his training, he shipped out to Germany to rebuild buildings and roads.  He took advantage of being in Europe enjoying sites in Amsterdam, France and Italy.  Even though he loved remembering the areas he saw, he remembered how thankful the German people were to see their war-torn country being repaired and rebuilt.  He said they all welcomed the soldiers and took care of them while they were there.

He started a life with his wife Sharon on June 15, 1958 and quickly moved from North Dakota to South Dakota and landed in Brighton, Colorado by spring of 1960.  They raised their 3 children: Scott, Lezli and Shawn who all live in the area to this day.  He not only built a life but worked on building the city.  He was a superintendent for Asphalt Paving and his most notable projects were all of I-225, 6th Avenue and I-25 through the “mousetrap”.  He worked for Cox Construction working with telephone conduit, but his true passion came to fruition when he started Vancara Builders with his son Scott.  They built custom homes throughout Brighton.  Most people today can still recognize the style, quality and craftsmanship that went into each and every house.

After working in California for a while, Gene returned to Colorado and retired from Concrete Express.   He and Sharon enjoyed his retirement years while living part-time between Colorado and Arizona.  They extensively travelled throughout the country in an RV and always enjoyed meeting new people and visiting with friends and family along the way.  They took cruises to Alaska, the Panama Canal and were truly blessed when they fulfilled their lifelong dream of travelling through the Holy Lands of Israel.

Gene passed away on September 23, 2022 with his family by his side.  He is survived by his wife Sharon, brother Larry (Edith) Cvancara, son Scott (Gretchen) Cvancara, daughters Lezli (John) Belohrad and Shawn (Tom) Weaver.  His grandchildren: Lynette (Rob)Laursen, Lori (Jered) Maupin, Seth (Kenzie) Cvancara, Shannon (Thomas) Quayle, Mykol Sostarich, Tyler (Danielle) Weaver, Travis Belohrad, Alyssa (Devin) DeRocher, Ralphie Martinez, Auston Belohrad and Braden Weaver.   Great-grandchildren Alyanna Hale, Providence Quayle, Titus Quayle, Aspen Cvancara and Melody Sostarich.

He is preceded in death by his parents Louis and Cora Cvancara, brothers Leo and Donnie, sisters Ida and MaryAnne and daughter Tammy.

We celebrate a truly blessed life and look forward to seeing him again with our Lord and Savior in heaven.

Contributions in honor of Gene can be made to the Wounded Warrior Project https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/Default.aspx?tsid=11585&ovr_acv_id=16821&campaignSource=ONLINE&source=BS22015AAABREAA&gclid=CjwKCAjwvsqZBhAlEiwAqAHElQlsbCKl_SWR5TnL4m79ZxMf8UwFkPv2lofPGhiEiSLg4cKjTYFO8BoCDo4QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

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