He was born January 18, 1924 in Sydney, Iowa, the son of William and Winifred Proctor Grandstaff. He graduated from Grinnell High School in 1941. During World War II he served in the U.S. Naval Air Force in the South Pacific. He married Pauline Holdsworth in 1947.

Gene, an ambitious and hard working young man, began working for the United Food Market in 1946 and worked in Grinnell, Newton and Marengo stores. He managed the United Food Market in Oskaloosa for many years and in 1960 became a supervisor and transferred to West Des Moines.

He owned Super Value Stores in Montezuma, Toledo and Indianola. During his career in the grocery business, he received many awards for excellent merchandising. After retiring from the grocery business, he sold farm real estate for Hawkeye Bank Corp. In 1984 he opened Gene's Truck & Van Conversion in Indianola.

Gene was a past Worthy Patron of the Eastern Star, past member of the Masonic Lodge, American Legion, VFW and the Za-Ga-Zig Shrine. He enjoyed golfing, fishing, hunting, and gardening.

He is survived by his wife Pauline of Indianola; five children, Connie (Larry) Nikkel of Grinnell, Jeanne (David) Sigmund of Carlisle, Mark of Indianola, Mary (Doug) Sparks of Ankeny, and Brian (Lisa) of Chubbuck, Id; seven grandchildren Jason, Allison, Erin, Megan, Amanda, Emily and Zachary; three sisters and one brother, Claudine Koger of Raynesford, Mt, Ronald Grandstaff of Oskaloosa, Shirlee Harter of Montezuma, and Mary Curry of Deep River, Iowa. He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister Virginia Prusha.

Visitation will be held 2:00 – 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 7 at Overton Funeral Home where family will be present to greet friends from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Memorials may be given to the Indianola Good Samaritan Center Alzheimer's Unit.