Robert "Bob" Ellery Gentry (February 8, 1943 - March 27, 2016) | Obituaries – Lake of the Ozarks

Robert “Bob” Ellery Gentry, was born February 8, 1943, to Robert Earl and Elaine (Harris) Gentry in White Cloud, Michigan. Bob passed peacefully on Easter Sunday morning, March 27, 2016, in Versailles, Missouri.

The Gentry family moved to Boone County, Missouri in 1948 to be closer to family when Bob was a child. He attended Columbia schools and was a proud graduate of David H. Hickman High School – Go Kewpies!

Bob enlisted in the United States Navy in 1962 and trained as an Air Traffic Controller in Glynco, Georgia.

Bob returned to Boone County after the military and met and married his better half, Carolyn (Adams) on March 16, 1968. They were married forty-eight years.

In November of 1969, Bob embarked on a career with the FAA as an Air Traffic Controller and supervisor in Olathe, Kansas. Bob loved being an ATC, this career lasted thirty years and he retired in 1999.

Bob and Carolyn moved to Laurie, Missouri in 1999, on the lake, where they loved boating and fishing. But, true to his nature, Bob did not remain idle for long. He was tapped to be an instructor for the FAA in 1999 and would teach in the Air Traffic Control Training Academy in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma for two years.

An avid outdoorsman, Bob found joy in hunting, fishing, golfing and travel. Throughout his lifetime, right up to the end, he talked about a 50th wedding anniversary trip with Carolyn.

Bob was baptized a catholic and was a member of the St. Patrick Catholic Church in Laurie, Missouri.

Survivors include his devoted wife, Carolyn of the home; his children, Kathryn (Roger) Casadei of Higbee, Karen (Roy) Manning of Gladstone, Russell Lee Gentry of Gladstone and Scarlett (Ken) Marchman of Chicago, Illinois; grandchildren, Desie Brooks, Angie Brooks, Heath Brooks, Madelyn Barnes, Taylor Gentry and Allie Gentry and six great-grandchildren. Bob also leaves his mother, Elaine Gentry of Columbia; two sisters, Tina (Jeff) Crane of Hallsville and Diana (Jerry) Jones of Columbia and many cousins, nieces, nephews, friends and neighbors. Last but not least, Bob leaves his beloved Scotty, Jock, who misses him terribly.

Bob was preceded in death by his father, Robert Earl Gentry and a brother, Matthew Gentry.

A memorial mass will be held at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, March 31st, at the St. Patrick Catholic Church in Laurie. The family will receive friends from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., Thursday, at the church. Graveside services and inurnment with full military honors will follow in St. Patrick’s Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to the Hickman Kewpie Scholarship Fund, Central Missouri Community Foundation with a notation of Bob Gentry Memorial, c/o Charley Blackmore 2312 Deer Creek Court, Columbia, Missouri 65201-3564.

Arrangements are under the direction and care of the Kidwell-Garber Laurie/Sunrise Beach Chapel.