Obituary of Frank Hugo Gentges

We celebrate the life of Frank Hugo Gentges. He was a loving husband and father, a loyal friend, inventor, thinker, and patriot with a devout heart and an inquisitive mind.  He passed peacefully at his home on April 5th, with his beloved wife, Margaret Ann Heflin Gentges at his side. He was born in Jefferson City, Missouri, to Hugo “H.P.” Gentges and Dorothy MacDowell.  He leaves behind two children, Sharon Louise Gentges and Douglas Allyn Gentges, daughter-in-law Helen Turner Gentges and three granddaughters, Emma, Amanda, and Alden.
Frank was an electrical engineer who started his budding career as a child, learning Morse Code and dissecting radios, blenders, TVs, and whatever else he could get his hands on.  He worked for the Department of Defense for many years, engineering communications, satellites, and navigation systems. Tinkering was his passion.  He dove into dumpsters to collect equipment, pulled things apart, and put them back together in new ways.  Even after “retiring” in the mid-90s, Frank continued to work passionately as an inventor and researcher with his company MetaVox.  At the time of his death, he was working on a satellite propulsion system.  
He was a lifelong “Ham” and had many Amateur Radio friends around the world. His call sign K0BRA was a part of his identity. He was an active member of AMRAD (Amateur Radio Research and Development), LARG (Loudon Amateur Radio Group), and met weekly with friends to eat tacos and talk shop.
He was an active parishioner at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church, a 4th Order member of the Knights of Columbus, and an accurate and knowledgeable quoter of biblical verse.
In their later years, Frank and Margaret enjoyed traveling. Their favorite trips were scientific cruises that would take them to see solar eclipses around the world. They had many happy memories of their visits to the Mediterranean, South America, and the South Pacific.
Frank had many friends and was often described as “A Good Man”. We were all fortunate to have him in our lives.