Barbara "Bobbee" Gentrup

Barbara “Bobbee” Gentrup age 77 of Belle Fourche, died Tuesday October 20, 2009 at the Belle Fourche Regional Senior Care Center. Christian wake services will be held on Sunday at 7pm. at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Belle Fourche. Mass of Christian Burial will be Monday at 10:30am at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Belle Fourche with interment at Black Hills National Cemetery in Sturgis. Visitation will be held from 4 to 6pm on Sunday at the Funeral Home of the Northern Hills in Belle Fourche and one hour prior to the wake service at St. Paul’s Catholic Church. Barbara Ruth Garner was born August 3, 1932 in Crawford, Nebraska. She was the daughter of Roy L. and Ruth E. (Thorton) Garner. Bobbee grew up in Crawford Nebraska, where she graduated from high school in 1950. In 1951 she was married to Henry “Hank” Gentrup at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Crawford. To this union, two children were born: Philip and Roxanne. Hank was employed with the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy (CB&Q) Railroad and then later with the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad (C&NW) Company. During their marriage, Hank’s job took them to seven different localities in three states before they retired to Belle Fourche in 1989. Localities included Crawford NE, Ardmore SD, Shoshoni WY, Whitewood SD, Belle Fourche SD, Mitchell NE, and Chadron NE. Bobbee was primarily a homemaker during these years, but during their time in Wyoming, she was actively involved in politics and worked for short periods of time as a waitress, in a drug store, and as a New York Life Insurance agent. Hank and Bobbee lived in Belle Fourche off and on since 1979. Hank preceded Bobbee in death in 2005. Bobbee will be remembered as a very knowledgeable woman who was active in the Butte County Republican Party and involved with the Tri-State Right to Life group. But most of all, she will be remembered as a caring wife, mother, and grandmother who loved spending time with her family. As a devoted Christian, Bobbee was involved with many Bible studies and groups over the years. She also enjoyed several hobbies through-out her lifetime including; reading, cooking, gardening, canning, and crafts. Bobbee will be missed greatly by her family and friends. Bobbee is survived by her son, Philip Gentrup of Belle Fourche; daughter, Roxanne (John) Johnson of Spearfish; 8 grandchildren, Daniel Gentrup, Alek (Stephanie) Gentrup, Jason (Joy) Gentrup, Megan Gentrup, Jill (Dustin) VanVeldhuizen, Julie (Ken) Gardner, Matthew Johnson, Amy (Shawn) Brown; 7 great grandchildren; brothers, Jack (Patricia) Garner of Lusk WY, Don (Lola) Garner of Crawford NE, Roy (Vicki) Garner of Crawford NE; and sister, Patty (Melvin) Jones of Crawford NE. Along with her husband, Hank, Bobbee was preceded in death by her parents, Roy and Ruth Garner; and sister, Leola Reynoldson. Memorials are preferred to the Bella Pregnancy Resource Center in Spearfish.