Eugene W. Sellers Jr.
Eugene W. Sellers Jr., 76, of Lock Haven, PA, passed away at home on October 20, 2026, his 76th birthday, surrounded by his loving family, who cared for him through a long illness.
“Gene” was born October 20, 1950, in Bellefonte, to the late Eugene Wilson Sellers and Edna (Fetzer) Sellers of State College. He graduated from State College Area High School in 1968 and from Penn State in 1976 with a degree in economics. His college education was interrupted when he enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard during the tumultuous 1970’s. He was first stationed at Governors Island, NY, and later served in the Coast Guard Reserve in Cape May, NJ. Gene rose to the rank of Chief Warrant Officer and was a highly respected officer and valued instructor, who often took extra time to help new recruits grow, not only in basic Guard training but in learning important personal financial skills.
After graduating from Penn State, Gene worked for the U.S. Postal Service in State College. Many of the senior carriers there remembered his father’s years in the same office and took to calling him by his father’s nickname, “Jake.” Like his father, Gene did more than deliver mail and packages. He got to know the people along his route and cared for them, with a jovial greeting and relatable stories for every customer.
Gene grew up in State College, where his family belonged to St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. As a child, he regularly attended Sunday school, until he became a young teen and preferred to slip away to spend the offering money on pinball machines at Penn State’s nearby Hetzel Union Building. In Lock Haven, he was a member of the First Baptist Church.
Gene was also an aficionado of unusual foreign automobiles, especially classic French Citroëns. In his early years he restored a Peugeot, pampered his British MGB, and championed Volkswagens and their fuel-efficient diesel engines, much to the chagrin of his skeptical family.
Gene is survived by his loving wife, Ricky (Crawford) Sellers; his children Phillip C. Sellers of Lock Haven; Kristy and her husband Duane Tull of Bellefonte, and her children Jessica and Hunter Phillips of Lamar and Mill Hall; Travis, his wife Angela, and children Wyatt and Hannah Koch of Jersey Shore and Lock Haven, Ethan Bressler of Erie; and Jenna and her children Drew and Cate Root of Hollywood, MD. He is also survived by his brother James “Jes” Sellers and his husband, Art Thomson of Cleveland, OH and their children; his sister Betsy and her husband John Buchan of Woolrich, PA and their children; and numerous nieces, nephews and great-grandchildren. We are all so grateful for the life God gave him, and for the enduring love and humorous memories he gave so generously to us.
A memorial service will be held in the Gedon Funeral Homes and Cremation Services, LLC., 121 W. Main St., Lock Haven, Pa. on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 2:00 p.m., with Pastor Douglas Packard officiating.
Memorial donations may be made to the International Myeloma Foundation, Clinton County SPCA, Gideons International, or the First Baptist Church of Lock Haven. The family extends its gratitude to Geisinger Hospice and Arcadia Home Health, and especially friends and neighbors, Chuckie, Jennie, Chase and Leah for their many years of assistance.
Thoughts and memories may be shared on the Gedon Funeral Homes Facebook page or at http://www.GedonFuneralHomes.com.
