Gerald
Gerald Bentley
d. March 23, 2017
d. March 16, 2017
 September 19, 1947 --  March 16, 2017
In the early morning, pre-dawn hours of Wednesday, March 16, 2017, a beautiful soul quietly and serenely took flight to enter its eternal rest and reward in the arms of our loving Heavenly Father.
Gerald Albert (“Jerry” or “JB”) Bentley was born to Albert and Irene Bentley, and his big sister, Virginia (“Ginger”), on September 19, 1947, in Dodge City, Kansas.  When he was almost two years old, the family moved to Portland, Oregon, where Albert, a WWII veteran and former Flight Engineer on B-29 aircraft, enrolled in college using the GI Bill to prepare for his calling as a minister and missionary to Spanish-speaking peoples.  Nine months later, another son, Larry Dean, was welcomed into the family.
When he was 5 years old, Jerry’s family moved to Somerset, Texas, where his Dad pastored a Spanish-speaking church in a Mexican-American and immigrant community, while supplementing his income working as a sheet-metal repairman at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio.  The family made mission trips in the summers to Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico, during the four years they were in Somerset, Texas.  They lived in Houston one year, where Jerry’s dad taught at Gulf Coast Bible College, managed the Christian Bookstore owned by the college and made the first of several mission trips to Guatemala.  Then they moved to Saltillo for a year and a half, where Jerry’s Dad was Assistant Director of La Buena Tierra, a Bible Institute, returning to the US so Jerry’s mom could receive treatment for a neck injury.  Their next home was in Fort Worth, Texas, for one year, prior to moving to Albuquerque when Jerry was 12, where his dad pastored a bilingual church in the South Valley, Southside Church of God.  Jerry, his brother and sister all graduated from Rio Grande High School, in Albuquerque, where he made many good friends that have be special to him his entire life.
Jerry attended Anderson College, in Indiana, one year, and then transferred to Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, until he was drafted during the Vietnam Era.  After basic training he was stationed in Coos Bay, Oregon, where he married and his first daughter, Tami Maria, was born.  He was discharged from the Navy after completing his tour of duty, but decided to reenlist as a career serviceman a couple of years later, serving a total of 23 years, attaining the rank of Master Chief and qualifying as a sharp shooter.  During his Naval career, Jerry and his family lived in Honolulu, Hawaii, and later returned Coos Bay, Oregon, where his second daughter, Shelly Angelina, was born.  Then they returned to Honolulu, where his son, Jason Andres, was born.  Other places the family was stationed were Dale City, Virginia, and San Diego, California, where he completed his Bachelor’s degree and eventually retired from the Navy.  After retirement he moved his family to Tucson, Arizona, where he lived for 25 years.  He later moved to Oracle, Arizona, then Comfort, Texas, and finally returned to Albuquerque, where he married his friend of many years from Tucson, Janet.  Theirs has been an 18-year friendship, which began while they were both working for the Pima Credit Union in Tucson, and a blissfully happy two and ½-year marriage—a match made in heaven!
During his Naval career JB, as he was known, was sent many places on assignment around the world, including Adak, Alaska; Okinawa, Korea, Grand Turk, Guam, Iceland, Wales, Japan, and Midway.  Due to his musical ability, he began as a Sonar Technician and, having received top security clearance, he eventually served in the area of hunting for Russian submarines.  For all of you who read the book or saw the movie, “The Hunt for Red October,” you might recall someone talking about the SOSUS (Sound Surveillance System) operators.  He was talking about JB.  By the way, one of Jerry’s lifetime Naval buddies told us that he picked up the nickname “JB” when he was on a particular assignment where there were too many “Jerry”s on the team.  That moniker stuck with him for the rest of his Naval career and followed him to Tucson, but when he returned to Albuquerque, he became “Jerry” again.
Jerry had a beautiful singing voice, played trombone, guitar, banjo, ukulele, and could get music out of just about any instrument he picked up.  He could do vocal impersonations of a number of famous singers, especially Elvis (complete with suit and wig), which made him a hit at karaoke and other parties.  From the time he was young he was fascinated by how things worked.  He loved to take clocks, radios, or broken small appliances apart and try to fix them.  When he retired from the Navy, he fulfilled a lifelong dream by starting Jerry’s Handyman Service.  His motto was:  “If I can’t fix it, it ain’t broke!”  Jerry was a self-disciplined high achiever and a man of strong faith, solid character and integrity, but he struck a perfect balance in his life by also having fun, joking and encouraging other people to laugh and enjoy life.  He was also an excellent mentor, helping others to reach their own potential.  Jerry was particularly drawn to children and young people, as he was still a kid at heart himself and seemed to be able to think like them and speak their language.  He also engaged in some sports, like wrestling in high school.  He had a couple of brief experiences, once in 6th grade and once in high school, playing football.  Although he had a big, husky build, which caused football coaches to seek him out, he was reluctant to tackle guys smaller than he.  (“I don’t want to hurt those little guys.”), so the high school coach said, “Bentley, you just don’t have the killer instinct!”  He performed in the band, instead, at football games.  He also earned several bowling trophies as an adult.
Jerry (JB) impacted deeply every life he touched.  He will be missed greatly, and his memory will be treasured by all who knew him.  For more information, like the list of his survivors, please see the obituary column on page B3 of the Sunday, March 19, 2017, edition of The Albuquerque Journal.  His funeral services will take place on Saturday, March 25, at the church where he and Janet worshipped:
Camino de Vida, 3907 Isleta Blvd. SW, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87105.
Public viewing will be at 10:30 am, services at 11 am, followed by full military honors (a Color Guard and 21-gun salute), in the courtyard.  A potluck lunch will be served at the church.  In lieu of flowers, the family is suggesting that memorial gifts may be made to the church in his name, in the form of personal checks, money orders or cashier’s checks made out to Camino de Vida and earmarked “Jerry Bentley Memorial.”  The gifts will be used for the youth and music ministries, which were dear to his heart.  The family also wishes to express our deepest gratitude for the outpouring of love, condolences and support we have already received from so many.  It is indeed comforting and healing to realize how many lives he touched in a positive way.  God bless you all!
to sign the guest book please scroll down
Thank You
the Gabaldon Family and Staff
 September 19, 1947 --  March 16, 2017
In the early morning, pre-dawn hours of Wednesday, March 16, 2017, a beautiful soul quietly and serenely took flight to enter its eternal rest and reward in the arms of our loving Heavenly Father.
Gerald Albert (“Jerry” or “JB”) Bentley was born to Albert and Irene Bentley, and his big sister, Virginia (“Ginger”), on September 19, 1947, in Dodge City, Kansas.  When he was almost two years old, the family moved to Portland, Oregon, where Albert, a WWII veteran and former Flight Engineer on B-29 aircraft, enrolled in college using the GI Bill to prepare for his calling as a minister and missionary to Spanish-speaking peoples.  Nine months later, another son, Larry Dean, was welcomed into the family.
When he was 5 years old, Jerry’s family moved to Somerset, Texas, where his Dad pastored a Spanish-speaking church in a Mexican-American and immigrant community, while supplementing his income working as a sheet-metal repairman at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio.  The family made mission trips in the summers to Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico, during the four years they were in Somerset, Texas.  They lived in Houston one year, where Jerry’s dad taught at Gulf Coast Bible College, managed the Christian Bookstore owned by the college and made the first of several mission trips to Guatemala.  Then they moved to Saltillo for a year and a half, where Jerry’s Dad was Assistant Director of La Buena Tierra, a Bible Institute, returning to the US so Jerry’s mom could receive treatment for a neck injury.  Their next home was in Fort Worth, Texas, for one year, prior to moving to Albuquerque when Jerry was 12, where his dad pastored a bilingual church in the South Valley, Southside Church of God.  Jerry, his brother and sister all graduated from Rio Grande High School, in Albuquerque, where he made many good friends that have be special to him his entire life.
Jerry attended Anderson College, in Indiana, one year, and then transferred to Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, until he was drafted during the Vietnam Era.  After basic training he was stationed in Coos Bay, Oregon, where he married and his first daughter, Tami Maria, was born.  He was discharged from the Navy after completing his tour of duty, but decided to reenlist as a career serviceman a couple of years later, serving a total of 23 years, attaining the rank of Master Chief and qualifying as a sharp shooter.  During his Naval career, Jerry and his family lived in Honolulu, Hawaii, and later returned Coos Bay, Oregon, where his second daughter, Shelly Angelina, was born.  Then they returned to Honolulu, where his son, Jason Andres, was born.  Other places the family was stationed were Dale City, Virginia, and San Diego, California, where he completed his Bachelor’s degree and eventually retired from the Navy.  After retirement he moved his family to Tucson, Arizona, where he lived for 25 years.  He later moved to Oracle, Arizona, then Comfort, Texas, and finally returned to Albuquerque, where he married his friend of many years from Tucson, Janet.  Theirs has been an 18-year friendship, which began while they were both working for the Pima Credit Union in Tucson, and a blissfully happy two and ½-year marriage—a match made in heaven!
During his Naval career JB, as he was known, was sent many places on assignment around the world, including Adak, Alaska; Okinawa, Korea, Grand Turk, Guam, Iceland, Wales, Japan, and Midway.  Due to his musical ability, he began as a Sonar Technician and, having received top security clearance, he eventually served in the area of hunting for Russian submarines.  For all of you who read the book or saw the movie, “The Hunt for Red October,” you might recall someone talking about the SOSUS (Sound Surveillance System) operators.  He was talking about JB.  By the way, one of Jerry’s lifetime Naval buddies told us that he picked up the nickname “JB” when he was on a particular assignment where there were too many “Jerry”s on the team.  That moniker stuck with him for the rest of his Naval career and followed him to Tucson, but when he returned to Albuquerque, he became “Jerry” again.
Jerry had a beautiful singing voice, played trombone, guitar, banjo, ukulele, and could get music out of just about any instrument he picked up.  He could do vocal impersonations of a number of famous singers, especially Elvis (complete with suit and wig), which made him a hit at karaoke and other parties.  From the time he was young he was fascinated by how things worked.  He loved to take clocks, radios, or broken small appliances apart and try to fix them.  When he retired from the Navy, he fulfilled a lifelong dream by starting Jerry’s Handyman Service.  His motto was:  “If I can’t fix it, it ain’t broke!”  Jerry was a self-disciplined high achiever and a man of strong faith, solid character and integrity, but he struck a perfect balance in his life by also having fun, joking and encouraging other people to laugh and enjoy life.  He was also an excellent mentor, helping others to reach their own potential.  Jerry was particularly drawn to children and young people, as he was still a kid at heart himself and seemed to be able to think like them and speak their language.  He also engaged in some sports, like wrestling in high school.  He had a couple of brief experiences, once in 6th grade and once in high school, playing football.  Although he had a big, husky build, which caused football coaches to seek him out, he was reluctant to tackle guys smaller than he.  (“I don’t want to hurt those little guys.”), so the high school coach said, “Bentley, you just don’t have the killer instinct!”  He performed in the band, instead, at football games.  He also earned several bowling trophies as an adult.
Jerry (JB) impacted deeply every life he touched.  He will be missed greatly, and his memory will be treasured by all who knew him.  For more information, like the list of his survivors, please see the obituary column on page B3 of the Sunday, March 19, 2017, edition of The Albuquerque Journal.  His funeral services will take place on Saturday, March 25, at the church where he and Janet worshipped:
Camino de Vida, 3907 Isleta Blvd. SW, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87105.
Public viewing will be at 10:30 am, services at 11 am, followed by full military honors (a Color Guard and 21-gun salute), in the courtyard.  A potluck lunch will be served at the church.  In lieu of flowers, the family is suggesting that memorial gifts may be made to the church in his name, in the form of personal checks, money orders or cashier’s checks made out to Camino de Vida and earmarked “Jerry Bentley Memorial.”  The gifts will be used for the youth and music ministries, which were dear to his heart.  The family also wishes to express our deepest gratitude for the outpouring of love, condolences and support we have already received from so many.  It is indeed comforting and healing to realize how many lives he touched in a positive way.  God bless you all!
to sign the guest book please scroll down
Thank You
the Gabaldon Family and Staff
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