Kenneth K. Gentry

Kenneth K. Gentry, 77, succumbed to the effects of multiple recent strokes and passed peacefully on September 16, 2019 in Chandler, AZ. Kenneth was born October 29, 1941, to Carl Gentry and Leona (Dunning) Gentry in Lindsay, CA and is the third of six children.

Kenneth attended Bakersfield High School in Bakersfield, CA before enlisting in the U.S. Air Force in 1960. Kenneth served overseas at Kadena AB, Japan and then at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho before returning to civilian life and his home state of California. He married Janet L. (McIlvanie) Gentry of Bakersfield, CA in 1964 and started a family. He and Janet were married for 55 years.

Kenneth worked for the Union Pacific Railroad for a number of years in California before following his father into the painting business and becoming a journeyman painter. He attended trade school at nights and on weekends while supporting a young family during the day. After completing his apprenticeship, Kenneth found civilian employment with the U.S. Navy in Ridgecrest, CA. In 1976, he took advantage of a “job swap” and returned to Idaho and the base he was once stationed at as a young airman. Kenneth went on to become the paint shop foreman in the 366th Civil Engineering Squadron at Mountain Home AFB before retiring in 2005. He and Janet moved to Chandler, AZ in 2015 to be closer to family and enjoy warmer winters.

Kenneth loved the outdoors and enjoyed spending time with his family. He would often go camping, fishing, and hunting, but he could also frequently be found working on a variety of home improvement and DIY projects.

Kenneth is survived by his loving wife Janet, along with two children: his son Eric Gentry and his wife Gwyndolynn of Chandler, AZ, and his daughter Janae (Gentry) Murray and her husband Dave of Huber Heights, OH; four grandchildren: Ryan and Kelly Gentry, and Mark and Rebekah Murray; his sisters Gwen Traylor and Jolene McGee of Bakersfield, CA, and Margie Martinez of San Diego, CA, and brother Keith Gentry of Waldport, OR; and dozens of cousins, nieces and nephews throughout California, Arizona, Idaho and Oklahoma.

The family would like to give a special thanks to the doctors, nurses and staff who cared for Kenneth, especially over the past several months, including Aqua Garden Care, Hospice of the Valley (Dobson House), and Cassie of Victory Home Care in Chandler, AZ. The family will plan a memorial service for Kenneth at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a tribute donation to the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, at 1-800-AHA-USA1 or www.heart.org.