Obituary of Philothea Gent

“I’m a cross between a bicycle pump and a barb wire fence,” Mom would tell us. However, we knew she was born on the fourth of May in 1929 in Marshfield (Coos Bay now), Oregon to Del W. and Nora F. (Cunniff) Rhodes. Her official name was Philothea Louise Rhodes. Because of the mouth full of a first name she went by Tink since a very young age. She was the youngest of four children. Mom always said she ushered in the Great Depression when she was born. After graduating from Marshfield High School in 1947, she attended the University of Oregon for a year. Tink married John Gent of Eugene on the eighteenth of June 1950 at St. Monica Catholic Church in Coos Bay. They would have been married for seventy years on June 18, 2020. She and Johnny built a family on the westside of Eugene, where they lived for sixty-five years until she went into memory care and finally hospice. Tink was instrumental in raising six fine children and managing the family’s cherry orchard until the Columbus Day Storm decimated about half of the trees. Tink’s pastimes while the children were growing up were to hike with the Obsidians Group and to spend many weekends at the beach. She was also chief taxi driver and meal maker. Later, she was a rural route mail carrier with the Veneta Post Office from which she retired after twelve years. During those busy years, she also volunteered for the Bailey-Spencer Rural Fire District for at least twenty years. After retiring from the Post Office, she volunteered at Sacred Heart General Hospital’s Lifeline program, which she greatly enjoyed. She was also an active member at St. Mary Catholic Church since moving to Eugene with her marriage. In Tink’s later years, she developed memory issues. This is about the time she developed the phrase “Mean and Ornery” when people asked her how she was. We all watched the slow decay this disease brought her; we were losing our own walking-talking encyclopedia and dictionary (this was before the internet) and a much-loved companion for our adventures of which there were many. On the fourth of March 2020, at ninety years and ten months of age, she achieved peace and rest. Tink is survived by her husband, Johnny Gent of Eugene; a sister, Molly Auer currently in the Medford area; her children: Nora (Dickson) Young of Eugene; Jeanette (Richard Crockett) Gent of Portland; John (Sue) Gent of Vancouver; George who preceded her in death in 2007 (Dianna) Gent of Canby; Matt (Kathy deceased in 2013 and he is soon to wed Meg in 2020) Gent of Vancouver; and Philip (Connie) Gent of Olympia. Tink also has twelve grandchildren and many great grandchildren. A funeral mass will be held at 12:15 pm on Friday, the twentieth of March, at St. There will also be a Rosary before the funeral at 11:30 am. Mary Catholic Church in Eugene at 1062 Charnelton Street. Parking is available in their lot. She will be buried at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland at a later date.