'His love for his family ... was palpable': Funeral set for slain Kennesaw golf pro

Jul. 12—Funeral arrangements have been announced for Eugene "Gene" Siller, the golf pro who was fatally shot at Pinetree Country Club in Kennesaw over the Fourth of July weekend.

Siller, who was 46, is survived by his wife and two sons, ages 7 and 5. He lived in Cumming. His family received friends Sunday afternoon and evening at McDonald and Son Funeral Home in Cumming, according to Siller's obituary.

On Monday, a funeral service will be held at Dunwoody United Methodist Church at 11 a.m. The funeral will be followed by a private family burial.

Per the obituary, Siller is also survived by his parents, Sharon and Eugene Siller; sister, Kristy Verticchio (Tony), and their three daughters; sister, Kimberly Goodstein (Ryan), and their three sons.

The obituary described Siller's love for his family, his loyalty and character, his passion for golf and his hobbies and accomplishments.

"His love for his family, and the love between Gene and Ashley, was palpable," the obituary says. "You never saw a prouder man than when you saw Gene looking at his two boys."

Siller's full obituary can be read on mcdonaldandson.com.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to the Gene Siller Memorial Grant, which was created through the Georgia PGA Foundation to honor Siller's life. The grant benefits competitive junior golfers in need throughout Georgia.

Donations can be made at https://go.rallyup.com/georgiapgafoundation. Checks can be made payable to:

Georgia PGA Foundation

Memo: Gene Siller Memorial Grant

2205 Northside Drive NW, Suite 140, Atlanta, GA 30305

A fundraiser for Siller's family had raised more than $700,000 as of Sunday afternoon.

Police arrested 23-year-old Bryan Anthony Rhoden Thursday and charged him with killing Siller and two others. Siller, the country club's head of golf, had gone to investigate a pickup truck parked on the golf course on Saturday, July 3. Police believe Rhoden shot and killed Siller because he was witnessing an active crime. In the truck bed, two other bodies were found — Henry Valdez, 46, of California and Paul Pierson, 76, of Kansas.

Police have not yet commented on a possible motive in the killings of Valdez and Pierson. Few details have emerged about Valdez and Pierson, and whether they had a relationship to the suspect.