There was always work to be done

Elia Powers

Business casual was not in Eugene Quinn’s vocabulary.

Each morning, regardless of the day of the week, he came

downstairs dressed in his finest shirt and tie. Most often, his

attire included a white, button-down shirt from Brooks Brothers and

high-end shoes.

Quinn didn’t feel comfortable unless he was dressed his best.

On most days, he awoke before dawn, even when he had nowhere to

be.

“I used to ask him, ‘Why are you getting up?’” said Jean Quinn,

Eugene Quinn’s wife. “He said, ‘I did it for 80 years; I’m not going

to stop now.’”

Eugene Quinn, a longtime resident of Newport Beach, died May 13.

He was 86.

Eugene Quinn was born in Macomb, Ill., a small town on the western

edge of the state. He and his brother, Carl Quinn, were inseparable

during their childhood, Jean Quinn said.

Eugene Quinn left home after high school and attended the

University of Notre Dame, where he was lead trumpet in the school’s

marching band. Eugene Quinn parlayed the position into numerous free

trips across the country, including an invitation to perform in New

York City’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

After graduation, Eugene Quinn moved to Chicago and began a

lifelong career in the plastics industry. He worked as a salesman,

using his naturally friendly disposition to his advantage, family

members said.

Jean and Eugene Quinn were living across the hall in a Chicago

apartment when they began spending time together in a large group.

The two hit it off and married in 1950.

The family moved to California, and he oversaw 35 West Coast

offices for his company. After a brief time in San Francisco, Eugene

Quinn eventually started his own company in Los Angeles.

“It was the early days of plastics, so he got in on the ground

floor,” Jean Quinn said. “He was a natural salesman; he told you

stories and made you feel comfortable.”

Most of Eugene Quinn’s products were tubes and rods intended for

manufacturing and industrial uses.

He was in charge of two offices -- one in Costa Mesa and one in

Commerce. The family bought a house in Newport Beach, but Eugene

Quinn still regularly commuted to Los Angeles. He worked six days a

week for most of his life.

“I don’t remember him ever complaining about the drive,” said Pat

Bathen, Eugene Quinn’s daughter. “Not going to work was like not

being alive. He liked the rhythm of his life.”

Eugene Quinn wasn’t much for down time. He didn’t play golf or

linger watching television. When it was time for leisure, Eugene

Quinn favored traveling and ballroom dancing, which he did with Jean

Quinn through a class.

And whenever Notre Dame’s football team came to town, Eugene Quinn

made to sure attend the game.

Eugene Quinn had a stroke about five years ago. His family urged

him to retire. But even when he couldn’t be productive at work, he

would still sit at his desk, answer his phone and absorb the

atmosphere.

Finally, about three years ago, his son, Jim Quinn, took over the

company.

Eugene Quinn had a unique mind-set. While many people trudge

through the week wishing it was the weekend, Eugene Quinn looked

forward to Monday mornings.

“He liked work better than anything else,” Jean Quinn said.