Eugene DeBow, 102, passed away Thursday, June 20, 2024, at The Brook assisted living facility in Birmingham, AL. He was born to Gordon DeBow and Maudie Broderick DeBow on January 31, 1922, in Fulton, MS. He graduated from the Itawamba Agricultural High School in the class of 1940. During World War II, Gene served four years with the Tenth Air Force in the China-Burma-India theater. He was a radio operator on C-47s that flew "the Hump," airlifting supplies from bases in India and Burma, over the Himalayas, to the Chinese army in Kunming. Gene made the flight over the hump at least 200 times, after which he quit counting.

Following the war, he attended the University of Mississippi on the G.I. Bill, earning a pharmacy degree in 1951. He married the former Juanita Stone in 1948 and began what Gene would later call a "72-year romance." In 1951, they moved to Tupelo where Gene worked as a pharmacist for more than 40 years – first at Thomas-Kincannon-Elkin ("TKE") downtown, then with Super D Drugs. For a time he was the oldest licensed pharmacist in the state of Mississippi. In their spare time, Gene and Nita enjoyed traveling, gardening, and Ole Miss football. They were faithful members of Parkway Baptist Church.

Gene is survived by his two sons, Michael DeBow (Rebecca) of Birmingham and Scott DeBow of Tupelo; three grandchildren, Andrea DeBow Tackett (Ray) of Tupelo, and John DeBow and Claire DeBow Cotten (Andrew) of Birmingham; and four great-grandchildren, Lilly Grace and Colton Tackett of Tupelo, and Laurel and Ella Cotten of Birmingham.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife.

Graveside Services will be at 11:00 am, Saturday, June 29, 2024 at Lee Memorial Park. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service.