OBITUARY: Raymond Charles Gentz, 1915-2003, Worth County, Iowa

[Adapted from Northwood Anchor online, Dec. 10, 2003]



                        Raymond Charles Gentz

Raymond Charles Gentz, 88, of Northwood, Iowa, died Saturday,
Dec. 06, 2003, at the Muse-Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit in Mason
City, surrounded by his family. Funeral services will be on Wednesday,
Dec. 10, 2003, at the First Lutheran Church, 309 North 9th Street,
Northwood, with Rev. Paul Holmer officiating. Burial will be in
the Sunset Rest Cemetery in Northwood.

Raymond was born on Feb. 14, 1915, to William Sr. and Mathilda
(Hansen) Gentz in Meltonville, Iowa. He was baptized and confirmed
in the Lutheran Faith. He attended school in Otranto, Heartland
District and District Number 5 east of Northwood. He married
Dorothy Schmidt on March 3, 1940, at the First Lutheran Parsonage
in Northwood, by Rev. Tolo.

Raymond and Dorothy began farming north of Kensett in 1940. In 1944,
they moved east of Northwood where they made their home for the past
60 years.  He was a member of First Lutheran Church in Northwood.

Left to cherish his memory is his wife of 63 years, Dorothy Gentz of
Northwood, three children, Ronald Gentz and his wife Kathy, Larry
Gentz and his wife Kathy, and David Gentz and his wife Cheryl, all
of Northwood; eight grandchildren, Darrin Gentz and his wife Tami
of High Point, North Carolina, Jessica Roberts, Jared Gentz, Tony
Gentz and his wife Megan, Naomi Olson and her husband Steven, Jacob 
Gentz, Hannah Gentz and Bethany Gentz, all of Northwood, seven
great-grandchildren, Ryland and Jillian Gentz, Carter and Kaitlyn
Roberts, Alexia Gentz, Jace Gentz, and Grace Olson; a brother, 
William Gentz Jr. and his wife Esther of Northwood, a sister,
Dorothy Low of Northwood, sisters-in-law, Caroline Gentz of Northwood,
and Skelly Schmidt of Waterloo, and a brother-in-law, Carroll Dean
Schmidt of Manly; as well as many nieces, nephews and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his sons, Kenneth Allen and 
Brian Keith, his daughter Karen Ann, his brothers, Art and Roy Gentz,
his sisters, Wilma Thompson and Florence Bottleman, his brothers-in-law,
Russell Low, Elmer Bottleman and Olaf Thompson and a sister-in-law,
Alice Gentz.


    Copyright 2003, K.L. Kittleson