In his 88 years on Earth, Pastor Gene Rentrope loved deeply and served faithfully. His wife, Gloria, remembers him as vibrant, bold, and deeply intentional in the way he connected with others.
“We were married in 1987,” said Gloria. “This was a second marriage for both of us. We both had children from previous relationships, but Gene’s a family man, so the word ‘step’ was not a term we used. We used ‘bonus children’ or ‘our children.’ He had three brothers, and despite them all living in different states, Gene communicated with them often. He was talking to somebody all of the time; old classmates, people he’d known for years and people he had just met. It was like he never met a stranger. Once he met you, you were in his life in some form or fashion.”
Gene pastored a church from 2001 to 2016. After its closing, both Gene and Gloria felt called in a different direction.
“We developed a new ministry that we still have going now,” said Gloria. “Gene was a person who really wanted others to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and he had developed a teaching program around that. We joined another church, and Gene actually went on staff as the evangelistic pastor until he got sick in 2018. They were willing to keep him on as staff, but he declined and said he didn’t want to be taking money if he wasn’t able to perform the job. When he was a pastor, he only got a stipend for six months out of a total of 16 years. It was his passion—he didn’t do it for money.”
Gene was always willing to help, even if it meant reaching into his own pocket. He spent countless hours calling people, praying with them, and offering encouragement. And although he pastored a small, independent church, he was widely known and deeply respected.
“I received over 300 cards at his passing,” said Gloria. “He made himself known to so many people. If he saw somebody in need and had the finances to help them, it was automatic. He’d even call people he hadn’t seen in 40 years just to sing them ‘Happy Birthday.’ When he was a Pastor, and he heard about a new Pastor coming to the area, he made a point of going to meet them. That’s the kind of person he was.”
When Gene passed, Gloria was contacted by HonorBridge to see if she would be interested in saying ‘yes’ to tissue donation—something she and her husband had never discussed.
“I spoke to each of our children individually and asked them what they thought,” said Gloria. “I decided that whatever the majority went with, I was going to be okay with it. But I had peace about it. I felt that by donating, part of him would be living on. He was all about multiplication in terms of people coming to the Lord, so if he could help as many people as possible after death, it seemed right. When I got the call back, I told them yes. When they were asking, it was not a ‘hard sell.’ There was a softness with it.”
In time, Gloria received an outcome letter detailing the impact of Gene’s gifts. But what meant the most to her was the Gift of Life Donor Medal, a symbol of gratitude that HonorBridge presents to every donor family.
“I just felt so honored,” Gloria said. “It didn’t feel like, ‘We have the tissue and we’re done with you.’ I felt truly appreciated, like the donation was seen as both an honor and a gift. I have a small memorial, and the medallion is displayed there.”
Gloria and her family, including all of their grandchildren and their great-grandchild, attended the 2025 Donor Family Tribute.
“My great-granddaughter and granddaughter painted birdhouses and chimes. We watched the tribute video, and every time Gene appeared, we’d cheer! We had our own little cheering squad. We enjoyed it.”
Despite having never discussed it, Gloria says that Gene would be pleased by becoming a donor.
“He would see it as a legacy,” she said. “I would want his recipients to know that the person who donated was someone who, even though he didn’t know them personally, knew them by the spirit. His gift was given in love. He was actually writing a book about love before he passed. He loved people, regardless of their ethnicity, sex, etc. He even loved his enemies. Love conquers hate, he would always say. He would be so pleased to know that he was able to help someone lead a more abundant life.”
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