Principal, Marine, Scout Leader Remembered, Respected by All

ERMA — Retired U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Eugene F. “Gene” Sole, 48, of Cape May passed away Thur., Aug. 11, 2011 in the comfort of his home surrounded by his family after a long and courageous battle with cancer, according to an obituary prepared by Spilker Funeral Home.
Sole had a distinguished career in the Lower Cape May Regional School District where he served as a teacher, vice principal of Lower Cape May Regional High School and, most recently, principal of the Richard M. Teitelman Middle School.
He was the Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 73. He coached Little League baseball and football in Lower Township and was the assistant soccer coach at the high school. He was a member of the Cape May City Volunteer Fire Company and treasurer of the Cape May County Republican Party.
He is survived by his wife of 20 years, Sarah “Betsy” Sole and their two sons, Tyler and Jackson, all of Cape May. He was a son of Sandra H. Sole and the late Lt. Col. Joseph A. Sole, U.S. Marine Corps, retired, of Tallahassee, Fla. and the brother of Mike (and Jeannie) Sole of Tallahassee, Fla. and Terri (and Oscar) Madrazo of Orlando, Fla.
Sole was a graduate of the University of Florida where he was the vice president of his Phi Delta Theta fraternity. Upon graduation, he was commissioned an officer in the Marine Corps. He led Marines in various infantry and security force units at Camp Pendleton, Calif.; Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Charleston, S.C.; Camp Lejeune, N.C. and several overseas deployments.
His Marine Corps brethren described Sole as a “natural and gifted leader who was greatly respected and loved by his Marines.” He retired as a lieutenant colonel from the Marine Corps after 20 years of combined service on both active and reserve duty.
A highly-decorated veteran of the Gulf War, Somalia, and Iraq, he is the recipient of numerous medals, citations and awards, including the Bronze Star Medal.
Sole met Betsy while stationed in Charleston where she resided after college. After their marriage in Cape May, they spent time in Fort Sill, Okla. and Camp Lejeune, N.C. until ultimately settling in Cape May after Gene left active duty.
He took pride in watching his two sons excel in the classroom, on the athletic fields, and in scouting endeavors, and felt his greatest legacy was watching them both become “young men of honor.”
Both have inherited their father’s unassuming brand of leadership and discipline with Tyler, an Eagle Scout and incoming Ohio State freshman in the Marine ROTC program, and Jack, a three-sport high school athlete, gifted student and aspiring Eagle Scout.
Both have also worked hard since a young age at local restaurants during summers and school breaks.
Visiting hours were Mon., Aug. 15 at Lower Cape May Regional Performing Arts Center, 687 Route 9, Cape May.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Aug. 16 at at St. John of God Church..Interment with military honors followed in St. Mary’s Cemetery on Seashore Road, Cold Spring.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Sole’s memory are suggested to The Gene Sole Scholarship Fund, c/o the Sturdy Savings Bank, 701 Washington St., Cape May, N.J. 08204.
Lower Cape May Regional High School Superintendent Jack Pfizenmmayer recalls Sole as highly respected and loved by both students and staff. He said Sole took leaves of absence on two occasions to serve in Iraq.
Richard Strauss, retired superintendent of the Lower Cape May Regional High School District posted remarks to the Spilker Funeral Home website:
“I remember vividly my extensive communications with Gene as he told me to he was going to serve in Iraq. As much as I tried to consult with him as a colleague and fellow Marine, I knew of his passion of Duty, Honor, Country as is instilled in those that have served. Once a Marine, always a Marine.
“As I knew Gene, he was a husband, father, devoted family man, but first, last and always a “Marine”. To use a quote from General Douglass MacArthur, ‘Old soldiers never die, they just fade way’.
“The memory of Gene Sole, Lt. Colonel U.S.M.C., Principal of Teitelman School, Administrator, Teacher, Husband, Father, Boy Scout Leader, all around good person will not fade away as long as this country honors its warriors our memory of Gene will endure.”
David Von Savage, Scout Troop 73 leader, worked with Sole in scouting for a decade.
“He demonstrated a lot of leadership for the kids that will be with them for the rest of their lives and I’m sure some of what they’ve learned they’ll pass on their children,” said Von Savage.