Birth date: Mar 14, 1942 Death date: May 11, 2020
J. Michael Gentry, 78, of Methuen, passed away peacefully on May 11, 2020. He was born March 14, 1942 in Corpus Christi TX to the late Lon and Sidney Gentry. Mike served as a Sargent in the US Army as communications specialist in Read Obituary
Cathy Mike was always fun to be around . You didn`t know what he was going to say next . When we started our monthly breakfast he was one of the originators . I remember being with him at Memorial Day and Veterans Day Parades. He was a lot of fun and will be missed . REST IN PEACE SOLDIER
Ernie Color Sgt 3/18th INFANTRY "IN OMNIA PARATUS"
He was always such a fun Uncle, always making us laugh! He was a great cook and would always make us our favorite meals. I have some wonderful memories of staying in the rental house on the ocean with both of you. I always loved being with you guys. I know he is at peace now. Thinking of you Auntie Cathy sending lots of love - Melanie (Gray) Warburton
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In 1994, I received a copy of the red hardbound book W. B. Ray Alumni Directory. There was a telephone number for Mike, but it was disconnected. I wrote to him, but after some months of not hearing back, I really forgot about it. About a year and a half later, one day, Mike called. As it turned out, my letter had taken quite a convoluted path to finally reach him. But, what a pleasant surprise. We corresponded, and the next summer, my wife Patsy and I drove down and visited Mike in Methuen. We also visited his diner “Remember When” in Milford.
It would be several more years before Mike and I saw one another again, and after that for several years, either we met up in Methuen, or he, or he and Cathy, would come to New Brunswick. Ryan, the first time Mike showed me photographs of you, I could not believe how much you two looked alike at the same ages. Mike told me of the significance of the Nevins, the Tenneys, & the Searles to the area, and gave me a tour through city hall, the music hall, the memorial library, and several other places. We also drove to Waltham and saw where you Ryan had graduated from Bentley University. He was just so pleased about that. I remarked to Mike that it sure looked different than the setting of Baker Junior High, which when built, as we knew it for we were the first 7th grade attendees, sat in the middle of a wide open expanse with one road in & out, surrounded by mesquite trees & cacti, and home to innumerable horned toads & rattlesnakes. Mike nodded, and we both laughed.
From there we went east, having lunch at Brown’s Seabrook Lobster Pound, and later shared a sugar & cinnamon fried dough treat, known in Canada as a beavertail, at an airy kiosk in the Hampton Beach State Park. That seems like so long ago now. The last time I saw Mike was several years ago in the Merrimack Valley Health Center in Amesbury. On my last day there, we sat out front in the shade, and reminisced mostly about what a couple of old guys do, the past. He also spoke about the time you Ryan and Eli had come to visit him, and how appreciative he was for that.
Mike had a more gentle and jovial side to him than me, something this world surely needs more of. I always considered him a friend, even though there certainly were stretches of time in which we did not connect. It saddens me that he is no longer physically with us and knowing I will never visit with him again. Cathy, Ryan, and Eli, please accept my most sincere condolences upon the loss of your husband, father, and grandfather. Bon voyage and God speed Mike, on your never-ending journey through the cosmos. As a fellow soldier, I salute you. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah! Amen.
Gary Lawlor Gill
Eulogy: James Michael Gentry – May 16, 2020
I first met Mike when I moved to Arcadia Village in Corpus Christi, in the second half of the fourth grade in the spring of 1952. I moved to Ellis Drive, which borders Vanderbilt Park, and Mike lived one block away on Adams Drive. We were in the same grade, as were four other boys in that same area. Even though we lived but one block apart, Mike walked past my house to attend William Travis Elementary School, and I passed his house to attend Sam Houston Elementary School. Go figure. As such, we only saw one another either after school, or on the weekends.
Mike came to the park, as did just about every other kid in the neighbourhood. We same age boys were about the same size, and we all seemed to love to wrestle and have grass fights. We rolled, tumbled, and laughed just so hard. Invariably somebody accidently received an elbow or head to the lip which caused a split and a bleed. If it hurt too much you cried, but were comforted, and you would not dare go home and miss all that fun. We also played pick up games of tackle football, and softball. If it were football, Mike was often the quarterback because he could throw just so well, and I mean really throw, especially the long bombs. But more of that later.
We both attended Marvin Baker Junior High School. The assembly place was “home room”, where we sat alphabetically, and there were a lot of such rooms because there were a lot of us kids, born during WWII. People used to say, “Well, we know when your old man came home on leave.”
This administrative gathering was done to see who was there, and was not, for the day, and to hear what seemed to be an endless series of boring announcements. Due to our last names, I sat behind Mike. Other than that, we hardly ever were together in other classes, that I can remember. After school, I was either trying to play football on the school team or running track. I do not recall knowing what Mike did because we rarely met up in the park anymore. Wrestling in the grass just did not have the appeal it once had. It was now a lot further to the ground and seemed to hurt more that it used to when you hit it. Besides, there were girls to consider now, and they would not hardly look at you if you had grass stains on your jeans and shirt.
We both attended W. B. Ray High School. There was also a “home room”, but because there was a Mike Gilbert, Mike Gentry and I then sat two seats apart. Mike was a reporter, and photographer I believe, for the school newspaper El Tejano and the yearbook the Silver Spur. In the springtime of the 12th grade, there was an intra-city athletic skills tournament. Mike won the softball throw at 94 yards. I told you he had quite a right arm.
We double dated to dances several times, but other than that, we rarely saw one another. I kept up with Mike mainly through his mom Sydney, who was the receptionist for our common family doctor, Dr. Perkins, and his dad Lon, who worked in the harbourmaster’s office, or something like that, and he and my dad knew each other via the waterfront docks. I learned later that Mike enjoyed the hobbies of gardening & stamp collecting, and developed his culinary skills.
Right after high school, Mike tried to secure summer employment for me where he was working in a ginned cotton warehouse and shipping company. That did not work out, but I thanked him anyway, and went elsewhere in the city for a job.
Mike then went to work for the City of Corpus Christi in the planning department, and also attended Del Mar College. I left town to attend university here and there, only returning about once a year for a few days. I usually would go by Mike’s house, and we would catch up on things for several hours. Finally, in 1965 I left for good, and loss all contact with Mike.
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Sending a heartfelt tribute to a and gratitude for the lasting memories of a man with a heart as big as Texas and a personality to match who has made our corner of the world a brighter place. We will always hold dear the gift of good times and laughter shared with our treasured friend, Michael. Our condolences and prayers are with Cathy and Michael's family and friends. The DeVeaus
This is sad. You know I am here for you Cathy.
Tom Gray
Very sorry for Mike's passing Cathy. I made a donation in Mike's memory and to honor his love of animals to the Nevins Farm, MSPCA. Peace be with you.
So sorry to hear, Cathy. Thinking of you durning these hard times.
-Katie Murphy
Thinking of you during this time. Sending prayers and positive thoughts your way. - Kerri Boyle
