Gene Strate

SPRING GLEN- “A man is not completely born until he is dead. When then should we grieve that a new child is born among the immortals?” Benjamin Franklin

Gene Edward Strate passed from this earthly realm on Saturday, September 6, 2025 due to pancreatic cancer. He was the only child born to James A. Strate and Kathryn Eynon Jones on October 4, 1948 in Price, Utah. He graduated from Carbon High School in 1966 and attended the College of Eastern Utah (CEU), graduating with high honors in 1970. He served an LDS mission to the New England States from 1967-1969. He attended Brigham Young University (BYU) where he met his wife of 52 years, Barbara Janette Killion. They were married on October 28, 1972 in Price, Utah and their marriage was later sealed in the Manti Temple. Gene and Barbara are the parents of four daughters and a son.

After graduating from Brigham Young University in 1972, Gene worked at the Utah State Corrections facility as a prison guard for one year before entering the charter class of the J. Reuben Clark law school at BYU, graduating in the spring of 1976. His law career consisted of forty years as a prosecuting attorney. He served for ten years as the deputy county attorney in Carbon and Emery counties and was then appointed as the Carbon County Attorney on February 14, 1989, a position he held until his retirement on December 31, 2018. He was also the Helper City Attorney for twenty-four years, serving from 1989-2013. From colleagues to coworkers, casual acquaintances to his closest friends, and even among those who were convicted in court, Gene was liked and respected by everyone who worked and associated with him. He had a profound personal and professional impact on a countless number of individuals and was admired in the legal community for his intellect and integrity.

Gene brought his quick wit and an easy sense of humor to all interactions and conversations, quickly defusing tense situations with a joke or story. He relished sharing his accounts of the inevitable humor that found its way into the courtroom where his tales turned convicted criminals into lovable characters who had found themselves in unfortunate circumstances. As the Carbon County attorney, he ran unopposed when facing reelection but joked that “one day Donald Duck will beat me” as a write-in candidate. Even as he faced the pain and outlook of his cancer diagnosis and treatment, he was joking, telling stories, and using his sense of humor right up to the last few hours of his life.

Gene was a true Renaissance man. He earned his first-degree black belt in Shotokan Karate while in law school after several years of dedicated practice. He served as a karate instructor for years, training several talented black belts and running the most successful Shotokan dojo in the state. He had a passion for dogs and could name any dog’s breed at a glance, a skill which was put to the test by the many mixed-breed dogs who joined the Strate home from various animal shelters and rescues. He had a deep admiration for a well-crafted knife or gun and collected various knives and gun models whose only target was a soda can in the desert or a clay pigeon on a trap range. He consumed literature on history, religion, philosophy, and was at ease in any conversation.

But in his essence, Gene was a cowboy. He spent his youth riding horses and herding cattle at his family’s ranch in Upper Joe’s Valley. His fondest memories were the days spent under the summer sun with his best friend and dog, Fritz. In true cowboy spirit, he was comfortable with solitude and embraced days wandering the canyons, watching for wildlife, singing cowboy songs, and reciting poetry. In later years, a good day was defined by a walk in the desert with his dogs Maya, Bumper, Mattie, or one of his other faithful companions.

Gene is survived by his wife Barbara; daughters, Barbara Sarah Cook (Roger), Jamie Elizabeth Goldstein, Rachel Rebecca Strate, Laura Leigh Madsen (Troy);  son, Jordan Matthew Strate (Anastasia); as well as eight grandchildren, Austin (Erica) Cook, Cameron (Maddie) Cook, Mackenzie Cook, Adeline Madsen, Eloise Madsen, James Strate, Simon Strate, and Sophie Strate.

A remembrance of his life will be held on Saturday, October 4, 2025, 11:00 a.m., Gene’s 77th birthday at Fausett Mortuary (680 East 100 South) in Price where the family will receive friends beginning at 9:30 a.m. Following the service Roger Cook will offer the grave dedication at the Price City Cemetery. Arrangements are in the trusted care of Fausett Mortuaries where family and friends are always welcome and may share memories online at www.fausettmortuary.com

“It is not the end then because we pass from one room to another, from one consciousness to another.” Edgar Cayce