January 31, 1941 – April 29, 2024

Eugene David Gastelum, known to his many friends as Geno passed on April 29, 2024 with family at his side. He was Born January 31, 1941 to Mary L Gastelum and Joseph Gastelum in Newark , California.

He is survived by his sister, Trudy Washburn, nieces JoAnn Koplin, Melissa Washburn and nephews Kenneth Washburn, Brian Good and Alan Good.

Geno graduated from San Jose State University in 1965 where he was in the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity.

After college, Geno went to work as a buyer for IBM. In the early/mid 70s, IBM transferred him from San Jose to Phoenix. He loved the Tahoe area, so he resigned from IBM, moved full-time to Tahoe City and became a bartender and bar supplier for the rest of his life.

He became an avid skier, skiing every weekend with his friends at the former Squaw Valley and joined the infamous Shark Battalion ski trips to Sun Valley. He loved living in Tahoe with his golden retrievers Jake and Harley. He became a prominent barkeeper in the region, deploying his skills with people at many of the best-known social gathering and dining spots, among them Rosie’s, River Grill, Cottonwood, River Ranch, Granlibakken, Sunnyside and the Tahoe Yacht club. He created and operated the Lake Tahoe Bar Supply Company which serviced bars and restaurants throughout the northern Tahoe basin. Geno’s classic 1934 Chevy Panel Truck displayed the company name in bold letters on the doors.

Geno was a lifelong lover of drag racing and member of the National Hotrod Racing Association. His flathead dragster is now in Don Garlits’ museum and started him on a long racing career. Gene truly loved nostalgia top fuel and funny cars with a special bond with those racers. Acting as the safety engineer at a number of racetracks, he paid attention to the details so that every racer made their best pass and returned home unhurt.

In 2006, at age 65, Gene’s heart was failing, and he received a transplant, giving him 18 additional years of life.

In April 2024 he suffered a seemingly minor fall, but complications due to his compromised immune system overcame his ability to fight and he passed quietly in his sleep early Monday morning the 29th of April 2024.

Geno had a wealth of friends, a love of the mountains, his dogs, and the lake; a passion for sports, racing, betting pools and dominoes; a quiet respect for others, a deep reverence for God and an indomitable will to live.