William "Bill" Ace Gentry Sr.

Aurora, Colorado. Bill Gentry, 78, of Aurora, Colorado, entered into eternal life, Friday, August 9th in the warmth of his home while holding his wife’s hand. 

He was born in Roxboro, North Carolina, the first-born of a set of triplets, children of William and Hope (Albertson) Gentry. His triplet siblings are the late Winifred (Wini) Drasky and Wanda Kaiser, wife of the late Jerry Kaiser; his younger sister is Joan Ellen Parks, wife of Steve Parks.

Bill leaves his loving wife of 37 years Barbara, his five children Mary (Todd) Randolph, William (Michelle) Gentry, Suzanne (Cotton) Collins, Joseph (Cindy Situ) Durning, and Jessica (Michael) Bates, nine grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

The Gentry family lived in Iowa for 10 years before moving to Colorado in 1957. 

As a brand new 18-year-old, Bill enlisted in the United States Navy on August 10, 1964. He served proudly as a Machinist Mate for over nine years. He was stationed in San Diego, California; Norfolk, Virginia; Guantanamo Bay, Cuba where his two oldest children were born; and ended his career at Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida. He served aboard the USS Ticonderoga, USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the USS Northampton which served as the Presidential Command Site Afloat. President Lyndon Johnson and “Lady Bird” Johnson visited during his time aboard the USS Northampton. Bill separated from the Navy on December 12, 1973 as an E-6, Petty Officer First Class serving as a High-Pressure Cryogenic Technician/Machinist Mate. His Naval service was one of his greatest life achievements and one that he proudly displayed on the baseball cap covered with pins that he wore every day.

As anyone who knew him knows, he was extremely hardworking in everything he did. After he separated from the Navy, he earned his Associate in Arts Degree in Applied Science Mechanical Engineering from Metro State in Colorado. He worked in civil service; worked as a building engineer and a building manager many times over; as a maintenance manager and a project manager for a variety of different companies and in many locations. And since he was our resident Mr. I-Can-Fix-Anything, it only seemed appropriate when he created his own business, Gentry’s Residential Maintenance. He loved being able to help people by repairing and maintaining their homes. He was the go-to man whenever someone needed something fixed. He always carried a multi-tool on his belt just so he could fix something whenever he went somewhere, even a doctor’s office. If he ever visited your house, he likely had his tool pouch in the car and would fix anything and everything that needed to be fixed. It was his way of showing his love for you.

Another important aspect of Bill was love of volunteering specifically with the Civil Air Patrol. He was a proud member of the Civil Air Patrol for over 50 years, starting as a cadet and ending as a Senior Member Lieutenant Colonel. He was the founding Commander of the Mile High Cadet Squadron and did Emergency Services Radiological Monitoring. He proudly served as the Colorado Director of Cadet Programs; was a senior advisor to the Colorado Wing Cadet Advisory Council. He also served on the Rocky Mountain Region Staff as the Protocol Officer and Inspector General. In 1987, he was instrumental in starting Colorado Wing Flag Team which marched in several parades and won numerous awards during his tenure. But probably his proudest moments were when he served as the Mustang Cadet Squadron Leadership Officer during which time he assisted in taking three teams to the National Drill Competition. He found so much joy in serving and caring for cadets and senior members alike. He would tell stories about each of his cadets for years after they had moved onto the next phase in their lives.

If you had the honor of knowing him, it is probably because he came up and just started talking to you one day. Bill was Mr. Extrovert, Mr. Social and really never met a stranger. He loved working with his hands especially when he was woodworking making beautiful creations like his famous heart-shaped tables. He really enjoyed traveling with Barbara in the United States especially to Alaska and Hawaii. They enjoyed bike riding and walking long distances particularly in San Francisco. He loved going to garage sales to buy military books, tools, and his rules (not rulers) to add to his collections. He was extremely patriotic which you could tell just by looking at his wardrobe and the flagpole in the front yard. And even though he was Navy through and through, he would always stop whatever he was doing to look up and identify any plane flying overhead. He loved listening to Big Band music and watching old westerns. He loved driving his loud truck, usually a little fast and aggressively, and giving directions to people using cardinal directions and a paper map. He loved making jokes and being snarky just so he could see people smile and laugh. He was always willing to help others and was the epitome of a role model of the importance of hard work.

But what he loved more than anything was his family. If you ever ran into him at 7-Eleven buying coffee and bear claws, he would give you a life update about each of his kids and grandkids, even if you had never met any of them. He had little traditions with his kids like watching Star Trek in the den while eating Lay’s potato chips with mustard, putting Spanish peanuts in a bottle of Pepsi, making homemade ice cream and pineapple upside down cake, chats in the garage, and watching planes land at Stapleton. He had a candy drawer in his nightstand always open to the kids full of his favorites like jujubes, Twizzlers, peanut M&Ms, and chocolate covered orange sticks from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. He would even take out his pocketknife, which he always carried, and cut a Cherry Mash in half to share. Clearly, he was a major candy-lover and foodie! He was constantly on the lookout for coins that had been dropped on the ground; he would collect them and save them for the kids. He made sure that all of his kids were prepared for life by gifting them a toolbox filled with hand-me-down tools from his collection. His favorite holiday was Christmas because his love language was giving gifts to his loved ones; he loved giving far more than receiving anything. One of his favorite gifts was to make everyone his famous fudge in a variety of flavors from scratch. He was very proud of his Christmas light decorations; even that one Christmas when he had a broken elbow and had to provide “constructive” directions from the ground to the kids. He always worked hard but made sure that he was there to support his kids in their activities, take them to fun places like Skate City and the movies with friends, teaching them to ride a bike, and wear the requisite spirit gear. His selfless service, kind heart, and boisterous laugh will be missed by all who were fortunate enough to know him. 

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Queen of Peace Catholic Church, Aurora, Colorado on September 6, 2024 at 10:00AM.

The Rite of Committal and burial will be at Fort Logan National Cemetery, Denver, Colorado following the funeral mass on September 6, 2024 at 12:45PM.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation (T2T.org) or the coloradoCAPfoundation.org for donations to the William Gentry Memorial Fund, or a charity of your choice.