Bernard "Geno" Wall Obituary (1928 - 2023)

Bernard E. Wall, affectionately known as Geno from Reno, departed this Earth on the morning of October 25, 2023. He was 95 years old when he passed quietly in his room at Meadowbrook Care Facility. He was the loving husband of his wife of 70 years, Mildred A. Wall. She went on ahead in 2020 to get the family dogs and cats ready for Geno's arrival. Geno was born in Topeka, Kansas, to Gerald Wall Sr. and Madonna Wall. He was welcomed by his older brother Gerald Wall Jr. Family lore has it that because of his older brother's kindly attention, Geno's first word was, "Don't!". That was the beginning of a long and storied relationship. Geno was always a traveling man. His brother, Jerry, had already gone on a long adventure riding the rails and bumming across America. When Geno was 14, he followed in his brother's footsteps. He came home from this trip with many stories of mischief, mayhem, and adventure. He would regale us with these stories until he passed away. World War II swept him into the Navy, where he learned that the military didn't care what Gene wanted to do! At 17, he was put in charge of a detail of men going to the West coast. He felt that was a bad idea because of his age. To which his commanding officer reminded him of the oath he'd taken and that the military didn't want to hear any more about it! He learned a great life lesson in that one moment. After two years in the Navy as a fireman, he was honorably discharged. He returned home to Kansas City. Following in his older brother's footsteps, he went to work for TWA Airlines and met the love of his life, Mildred. They married in 1950, and Geno began working as a traveling salesman for different companies over the years. Because of his work, he lived in five different places and had many interesting experiences and many unique acquaintances. It was during this period that they began to build a family. Their first son, Timothy, was born in 1953. Thomas was to bounce into the world in 1957. Geno worked for the AP Parts Corporation until 1971, when he decided to move to Sparks, Nevada, to open his own auto parts store. They later sold the business, and Geno became a car salesman. This was where his moniker "Geno from Reno" was born. He retired to Baker City with the idea of being close to relatives. Mildred's older sister, Mabel, and her husband, Roy Lennburg, were already Baker City residents. The idea was a good one. They lived here happily for 24 more years, busily gathering more stories to tell. The years in Baker were filled with family gatherings. Geno had a complicated relationship with the Catholic Church. He participated as an altar boy and a lector. He had always had a powerful voice and had become active in Toastmasters when he was younger. Later, he became Mildred's chauffeur to church. Geno is survived by his youngest son Thomas, his sister-in-law Joyce Schweitzer, his granddaughters Ami Wall Blackstone and Stephanie Wall, two great-grandsons Tyler and Joshua Blackstone, and a great-granddaughter Emily Buckner Wall, all of Vacaville, California. He was preceded in death by his oldest son, Timothy C. Wall, as well as his older brother, Gerald Wall Jr.