Cloudy and Windy, 58° F
(Nov. 12, 2005)
A Wyoming pioneer, Ross E. Gentry, 93, died Saturday, Nov. 12 at West Park Hospital in Cody.
He was born Dec. 17, 1911, in Whiting, Iowa, to William and Ina (Miller) Gentry. As a small child, he moved to eastern Wyoming where his family homesteaded. In his early adulthood, he participated in cattle drives, worked at a carbon black plant, the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Wash., and also worked at Sears.
On Feb. 10, 1940, he and Florence Elaine Frisby eloped and were married in Bridgeport, Nebr. They lived in many Wyoming towns, moving with Marathon Oil Company. They finally settled in Cody in the early 1940s.
Ross shared over and over how he came to be an employee for Marathon, saying, “Marathon hired me for a weekend, and it took 40 years to get that much work out of me.” After retiring, he and Florence traveled all 50 states and Mexico.
The mountains and plains were his church. He loved working in the yard and watching the birds, rabbits, deer and other wildlife.
Survivors include his wife Florence of the family home in Cody; a brother, Warren Gentry and wife Billy of Scottdale, Ariz.; a sister, Isabel Slaughterbeck of Gillette; two grandsons and six great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a daughter, Martha Gentry Robinson; and four siblings.
Cremation has taken place. Memorial services will be Friday, Nov. 18 at 10:30 a.m. at Ballard Funeral Home in Cody.
