Merilyn “Sue” Gentry was finally reunited with her beloved Bill on December 7, 2022.
Born to Waldo and Evalene Cooper on August 24, 1944, she was one of the most popular, and arguably the most beautiful student, in Versailles High School’s class of 1962. She was a clever student, a popular cheerleader, on the Homecoming Court and won the honor of “Miss Betty Crocker”, before graduating and moving to Kansas City to pursue secretarial school. Soon after, she met the love of her life, “her Bill”. They were married on July 2, 1965 and enjoyed 54 years of marriage before his death in 2019.
Together, they settled in St. Joseph, raising three children: Shane (Cindy) Gentry of Shawnee, KS; Mike (Susan) of St. Joseph; and CeCe (Chris) of Kansas City. She also counted dear family friend Marsha Brown as a bonus daughter, whom she loved deeply. While infinitely proud of her children, it was being “Suegee” to her five grandchildren: Kristy, William, Ryan, Collin and Allison that held her heart. She was blessed in recent years to add Kristy’s husband, Jacob, as her bonus grandson. The amount of joy they brought her was immeasurable. May they always feel her presence and her pride as they move forward through life without her earthly love…or that little extra pocket money she would insist they take with them each visit.
Through the years, Sue worked at the Missouri Highway Patrol, the South Belt Kmart, H&R Block and, most recently, at Huffman United Methodist Church. She was the epitome of a “people person” and never met a stranger. She was a natural communicator and would joyfully engage with people everywhere she went. Perhaps her favorite pastime, she elevated phone conversations to Olympic heights, for decades enjoying daily calls with multiple friends and family members. Second to that, it was her years of monthly gatherings she shared with her “Fork Lifters” breakfast and lunch groups that filled her life with community, joy and laughter.
In addition to her children and grandchildren, Sue is survived by her sister Kathy (Gary) Woodward of Sebring, FL; and brothers Jerry (Carol) Cooper of Flemington, MO; Bob (Linda) Cooper of Port Angeles, WA; Darrell Cooper, Eldon, MO; baby brother Joe Cooper of Custer, SD; and sister-in-law Nancy Zaagsma of Springfield, MO; as well as numerous nieces and nephews and countless friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, brothers (Jim, Daniel, Terry and Tracy Cooper), as well as her youngest sister (Beth Whittle).
To say she will be missed is an understatement. She was a force. She gave her children opportunities she could only dream of, and she routinely moved beyond her comfort zone to give them experiences and confidence that had eluded her. The loss of her insistent, sometimes irrational, belief in them brings the end of an era. You did well, Mom, and we thank you and love you for it.
Farewell Services and Public Livestream 1:00 P.M. December 17, Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory. The family will gather with friends from 10:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. A private burial, reuniting Sue and Bill, will follow at Memorial Park Cemetery.
