Pontotoc – Maxine Tunnel Gentry (96) of Tupelo passed from this life to more life on March 25, 2020. Maxine was born on October 6, 1923 in Pontotoc County, Mississippi. She was one of seven children born to Elvie and Lillie Mae Tunnel.
During World War II, Maxine worked at the Mississippi Gulf Ordnance factory in Prairie, MS. She was introduced to her future husband, James Ellis Gentry, by her brother Clyde. James and Clyde had served together in the Civilian Conservation Corps at Hickory Flat, MS. After World War II, she married James and they soon moved to Memphis, TN where James was employed with the Ford Motor Company. In the late 1950s, Maxine and James moved to Lorain, Ohio where Ford had opened a new assembly plant. While in Ohio, Maxine attended cosmetology school and opened her own beauty salon business. After James' retirement from Ford in 1983, they moved back to MS and built a house on the west side of Tupelo in the Bissel area. Maxine was a member of the White Zion Presbyterian Church and enjoyed volunteering at the Sanctuary House Hospice Thrift Shop.
Maxine resided at Traceway Manor for the past few years and very much enjoyed the company of her friends at Traceway and daily evening visits with Inez to watch Family Feud and Wheel of Fortune. She enjoyed visits from friends and relatives and often engaged them in a game of Skip Bo which she usually won. Maxine was well versed in family genealogy and quite possibly related to a good portion of the population of MS.
She was pre-deceased by her husband, James, daughter Nellie Sue, and her 6 siblings. She is survived by her son James Ellis Gentry Jr (Christine) of Mystic, CT and five grandchildren: Matthew Gentry of Philadelphia, PA; Allison Gentry of Hong Kong; Pam Abell (Steve) of Post Falls, ID; Douglas Prueter of Post Falls, ID; and Lisa Morgan (John) of Newark, DE. She is also survived by two great grandchildren: Robert Wells (Oregon) and Brittany (Washington).
A service was held at Immanuel Cemetery on March 29,2020 and a Memorial Service is being planned for late summer or fall 2020 in Tupelo. Baldwin Memorial Funeral Home in Pontotoc, MS assisted the family.
