August 27, 1939-August 15, 2023

Armel Eugene Lashley affectionately known as “ Gene” or “ Geno“ was born in Harlem New York to Lorraine Thomas (deceased) and Armel C. Lashley (deceased) on August 27, 1939. He also had a sibling Susan Johnson (deceased). Gene attended New York public schools and graduated from Boys High School in Brooklyn, New York. While at Boys High he was a member of the track and field team where he was known as “Flash”. While on the team, he won many medals and was recognized in 2008 by the Boys High Alumni Track and Field Inc. for his participation on the legendary 1958 4×440 relay team. The first NYC public school team to break 3:21.00.
A lifelong track enthusiast, Gene and a large group of friends and former teammates would later make a yearly pilgrimage to the famous Penn Relays, where they gathered and cheered sitting in the “grey heads” section, and where many of his track triumphs from long ago were recorded.

After graduating from high school, he attended Virginia State University, and later, Gene had a modeling career, appearing in Essence, Ebony, and Jet magazines in the 1960s. With his charisma, wit, and natural gift for developing personal relationships, for many years Gene was a top salesman for Pennsylvania Bell Yellow Pages and later took those skills to form his own ethnic greeting card company in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the 1970s. A multi-talented man, his lifelong friend, Malcolm Dunn, brought him on board the New Jersey-based commercial cleaning company, Dunn & Sons in the 1980s. He retired after several years working at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Gene loved fishing, particularly with his cousin Charles Morris at Charles’ fishing camp at Walpole Island First Nation in Canada. It was always a big fun family affair when cousins David, Timothy, and David, Jr. were there with Charles’ fishing partner, KC, “The Catfish Hunter.”
Gene married Augusta M. Jones and had two children, Linda and Armel Jr.  After being widowed for many years he met and married Myrna Le Sueur of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania where he settled and remained until his passing on August 15, 2023. Eugene was a wonderful father, a loving husband, and a good friend to many too numerous to name.
He is survived by his wife Myrna of 27 years, his two children, Linda and Armel, his grandchildren Jessica Durant, Faraad Kelly, Isaac James and his great-grandchildren Jayden and Zoey Durant and Samirah Kelly and a host of cousins, nieces, and nephews.
The family of Armel Eugene Lashley wishes to acknowledge with sincere appreciation and gratitude the many comforting messages, prayers, and other expressions of kindness and concern.