Herschel Eugene "Gene" Rapp of Zenith, Illinois passed away at his home on October 18, 2021. He was 84. Gene was born October 9, 1937, in Zenith, the son of Herschel and Malinda (Henson) Rapp. Gene grew up in Paxton, IL, a town he spoke of fondly his entire life. He served for six years in the Illinois National Guard. He worked a variety of jobs in the Paxton area including food distribution at J.M. Jones in Urbana, IL where he met his wife Cynthia "Cindy" Ruppel. Work took him to Minneapolis, MN where he worked for Gateway Foods for many years. He returned to Zenith in 1984 where he worked for Knapp Oil Company until his retirement. Gene was a master carpenter and all around "handyman." He built everything from furniture to the very home he lived in for the past 35 years. After retirement, he enjoyed rebuilding cabins at the Brush Creek Campgrounds in Zenith where he will be laid to rest. Gene loved living in the country where he enjoyed feeding birds and