Angelina Renee Gentry

Angelina Renee Gentry, 58, of Tucson Arizona passed away after a courageous four-and-a-half-year battle with cancer, leaving behind a family who loved her beyond measure and a world made brighter simply because she was in it. Born in Santa Barbara, California, to her mother Sharon Heidman, who proceeded her in death, and her father, Jim Heidman, Angelina would eventually make Tucson, Arizona, her home. But home for Angelina was never simply a place. Home was wherever her family was, even when they couldn't all be together. Family was the constant in her life and never far from her heart. Growing up, life was not always steady, so Angelina became the steady one. She took on more responsibility for her brothers and sister than a child should have had to carry but she did it out of love. She may have had plenty to say about it, but she never stopped showing up for them. In many ways, she helped shape the people they became and they never forgot it. Angelina's faith in God was at the center of her life, followed closely by the family she loved so deeply. She was a devoted mother, a wonderfully supportive wife and loyal friend, and to those fortunate enough to know her, a ray of sunshine. She cared deeply for others and had a remarkable way of making the people around her feel loved and important. But nothing meant more to Angelina than her family- her husband, her children, her brothers and sister, and her nieces and nephews. Her greatest love story began 40 years ago at a local community pool on Angelina's 18th birthday. That day she noticed a 16-year-old boy named Tony, looking a little sad- or maybe just bored- as he rode around on his bicycle, since the courts had apparently decided he wasn't quite fit to drive yet. Somehow, that unlikely beginning turned into a lifetime together. Tony would spend the next 40 years teasing Angelina about "cradle robbing", but the teenage boy on the bicycle had found the person who would become his best friend. They went on to share more than 34 years of marriage and 40 years of friendship. They built a life around simply being together. They traveled, raised their family and shared countless adventures, but where they went was never as important as who was beside them. Tony and Angelina simply didn't like being apart. After four decades, they remained husband and wife, partners, and above all, best friends. Of everything Angelina accomplished in her life, nothing brought her greater pride and joy than being a mother. She leaves behind her beloved children, Camron Lee Gentry, 32, and Alyssa Renee Gentry, 29, who were at the center of her world. She also leaves behind her husband and best friend, Tony along with her brothers and sister, nieces, nephews, extended family, and many friends spread across the country, who's live are better because Angelina was part of them. For four and a half years, Angelina faced cancer with extraordinary courage and grace. In keeping with the way she lived her life, she kept much of that battle private- not because she faced it alone, but because she never wanted her illness to become a burden carried by the people around her. Even during the most difficult chapter of her life, she remained concerned about those she loved. Angelina will be remembered for her faith, her devotion to family, her friendship, her warmth, and the light she brought into the lives of others. Her absence leaves a hole in the hearts of those who loved her and a hole in this world that cannot be filled. But for a woman whose faith in God guided her throughout her life, those who love her can take comfort in believing that the light this world has lost has only made heaven brighter.