Harold Durham "J.R." Gentry Jr.

Harold “J.R.” Durham Gentry, Jr. passed away at home while in the company of his family in Brighton, Michigan, on September 9, 2020.  Born August 1, 1939, he was the son of Harold Durham Gentry and Ruth Elenore (nee. McClish) Gentry, of Kokomo, Indiana and sister of Peggy Lou (Dick) Stephenson, who survives him.    J.R. grew up in Kokomo and worked as a supervisor at Continental Steel and then Penn Dixie Steel of Kokomo until its closing and served in the U.S. Army Reserve.  On September 2,1967, J.R. married Dianne Marie (nee. Barber) Gentry, the daughter of Barney and Lorena Barber, whom he met through family gatherings as Harold, Sr. and Barney had served together as Marines in the Pacific during World War II.  J.R. and Dianne settled into life in Kokomo, where they raised their two children, Kevin Scott Gentry and Robin Lynn Gentry who, along with Dianne, all survive him.  After the closing of Continental Steel, J.R. and Dianne returned to Dianne’s hometown of Rapid City, Michigan, on Torch Lake, where they spent their retirement years with their family and many friends.    In 2019, J.R. and Dianne relocated to Brighton, Michigan to be closer to Kevin and their grandchildren, Ryan Dickson Gentry, Jordan Mitchell Salmi and Rachel Ashley Salmi.  J.R. was known for always being willing to help others, generously giving of his time, skills and abilities.  J.R. loved boating, the outdoors, classic cars, train collectables, SCUBA diving, hunting, fishing and sharing those loves with his family and friends.   Memorial donations in memory of J.R. may be made to the Michigan Parkinson’s Foundation, link located below.
No services to be held
No services to be held No address Not Applicable, MI 00000