COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A loving father, husband, brother and son. That is how Gene Siller’s family wants their loved one to be remembered.
Siller, the director of golf at Pinetree Country Club in Kennesaw, was killed Saturday when he came upon a crime in progress on the 10th hole. A man driving a truck on the green with two bodies in the bed shot and killed Siller before fleeing the scene.
Today, family and friends will gather to celebrate his life and say their final goodbye to the 46-year-old.
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“Gene will be here forever with us in some form or fashion,” Pinetree President Lou Bottino said. “The one message they wanted to get out is what a great family member he was.”
Bottino and the club’s general manager Brad Nycum sat down exclusively Friday with Channel 2′s Chris Jose to talk about the beloved golf pro.
“You just couldn’t draw a better picture of a beautiful happy family,” Nycum said.
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Siller and his wife Ashley had been married since 2007. They have two boys, 5 and 7.
“You never saw a prouder man than when you saw Gene looking at his two boys. Gene loved being a father and was the leader of his family, always so present and patient,” his obituary says.
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The memorial on the 10th hole at the course has been growing since Sunday.
“Gene was strong, centered, and ethically grounded, never wavering from doing what he believed was the right thing to do. Gene made the people around him better just by knowing and loving him,” the obituary read.
Siller’s family received friends Sunday afternoon at McDonald and Son Funeral Home in Cumming.
Siller’s funeral will be held Monday at Dunwoody United Methodist Church at 11 a.m., followed by a private burial.
The shooting suspect, identified at Bryan Rhoden, was arrested in Chamblee Thursday and taken to the Cobb County jail. He is facing murder, kidnapping and aggravated assault charges.
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