Gerald E. Trent (Jerry), a beloved, proud, loving, and supportive son, brother, husband, father, grandfather and friend, was born August 7, 1932 and was surrounded by loved ones when he passed away at the age of 87 on November 27, 2019. He will be dearly missed by all who knew him.
Jerry grew up in Kansas and Missouri, earned a G.E.D. and joined the military at age 17. He made the United States Air Force his first and most important career. He married the love of his life, Janet S. Ireland, and had four children: Mike, Mark, Steven and Sandra. During his various overseas deployments, they lived on military bases in England, France, Turkey, and Germany. While Jan & Jerry later divorced, they remained great friends and enjoyed getting together with family.
Retiring as a Master Sergeant after 20 years of Military Service, Jerry began civilian life as a computer technician with Hewlett-Packard, where he worked for more than 15 years. While this fueled his life-long love of computers, he was even more passionate about his fully caffeinated Coffee with two sugars and a splash of creamer. Jerry relinquished the chains of cigarette smoking in 1997 & referred to himself as a non-smoker, proudly stating: “I’m FREE! I am no longer a slave to cigarettes!”
In his spare time, Jerry enjoyed camping, fishing & hiking while traveling in his motorhome and listening to iHeartRadio. He was also an avid ballroom and square-dancing gentleman, earning a Bachelor of Square Dancing from the Texas State Federation of Square and Round Dancers. Jerry especially loved his frequent lunch dates with his children, grandchildren and many great friends. We could always depend on him to share his experiences and wisdom, often with a bit of humor. Our memories of his loving spirit will remain in our hearts forever.
Jerry was preceded in death by his: Biological mother, Cleo Marrs Trent, who passed away when he was a very young child; Father, William Trent; Mom, Alta Clark Trent, who raised him with his siblings; youngest brother, Howard Trent; younger brother, Troy Trent; youngest son, Steven Trent; & just recently, his former wife’s second husband, Gerald (Jerry #2) Downing, whom he jokingly referred to as his ”husband-in-law”.
Jerry is survived by his: Former wife, Janet Downing & sons, Mike & Mark Trent of Lewisville, TX; daughter, Sandra Schultz & her husband, John; daughter-in-Law, Kim (Trent) Farrell; & daughter-by-proxy, Nadine (Dina) Janssen, all of Farmers Branch, TX; & daughter-in-law, Cindy Trent of The Colony, TX; 9 grandchildren: Rachel & Kendra Trent of Farmersville, TX; Samantha Schultz of Farmers Branch, TX; Mistie Schultz & partner, Karen Gordon of Niagra Falls, NY; Sai (Brandie) Schultz & partner, Tyler Friedrich of Eau Claire, WI; Beau Schultz & wife, Amber of Sanger, TX; Richard Trent & wife, Kate of Houston, TX; Stephanie Trent & partner Bobby Jackson of Ft. Worth, TX; & Jaramiah Trent of Carrollton, TX; 8 great-grandchildren: Abigaile Rodriguez, Lilliana & Victoria Vizcarra of Farmers Branch, TX; D’Angelo (Rique) Lucio of San Antonio, TX; Sebastian Frisch & Stephen Schultz of Sanger, TX; Lorelei & Abigael Trent of Houston, TX.; younger brother, Roy Trent of Charlotte, NC; sister-in-law (Troy’s wife), Maxine Trent of Huntersville, NC; younger brother, James Trent Sr. & his wife, Lou Ann of Springfield, MO; sister, Sue Romines & her husband, Hadley of Springfield, MO; & numerous other loving family members, including many wonderful nieces, nephews, their spouses, partners, & their many children, mostly of Missouri; as well as a great number of caring friends including: Shirley Jeansonne of Dallas, TX & many, many others.
Gerald E. Trent (Jerry), will be laid to rest with Military Honors at 12:30 pm on January 27th, 2020 at:
Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery
2000 Mountain Creek Parkway
Dallas Tx 75211
After the service, please join us anytime between 2:00 pm - 5:30 pm for a Celebration of Jerry's Life at:
Christ United Methodist Church
2807 Valwood Parkway
Farmers Branch TX 75234
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