Obituary: Eugene S. “Gene” Asher, 87
Former sportswriter, life insurance agent, author, and state boxing champion Eugene S. “Gene” Asher, 87, died Dec. 28.
He was an Atlanta Constitution sports writer in the 1950s, and Atlanta Journal sports prep editor in the 1960s. A frequent guest on radio and TV talk shows, Asher shared information and opinions about teams and players.
After the birth of his third child, David Baron Asher, who died in 2010, Asher wanted to earn more money to provide for his family. He said he’d do anything except sell insurance. Yet, life insurance became his next career. Within his first year he made the Million Dollar Round Table and over time became a Lifetime Member of the MDRT.
However, his love for writing never died. Upon retiring in 1990, he founded The Jewish Georgian newspaper and single-handedly sold the ads and called upon friends to help him write articles. In the late ‘90s he began writing a monthly column for Georgia Trend magazine on former local sports figures and Atlantans of notoriety. In 2005, a compilation of many of those articles were published in his book, “Legends: Georgians Who Lived Impossible Dreams.”
A retired Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, Asher served as a rifle platoon leader in the Korean War and was honored with two purple hearts. As well as fighting for his country, he fought in the boxing ring. He was a four-time city of Atlanta boxing champion and became the 1949 Georgia State Lightweight Golden Gloves Champion.
Years later, Asher taught boxing at the Atlanta Jewish Community Center and founded the Fathers and Daughters Club of Atlanta.
Asher was born May 5, 1928, to Baron Hirsch Asher and Erna Fromme Asher. He is survived by daughters Laurie Lynn Asher and Susan Kay Asher, their mother Dell Spector Asher, cousins Jeffrey C. Asher and JoAnn Asher Rubin, nieces Karen Everett Sukloff and Marybeth Asher-Lawson, and nephews Barry Benator, Gene Benator, and Ron Asher.
Asher is buried at Crestlawn Memorial Park Cemetery.
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