Kenneth Gerald McEntire, age 84, passed away on October 31, 2026 in Bedford, Texas. He was born on November 30, 1941 in Lone Oak, Texas to Robert Daniel McEntire and Lois (Barrow) McEntire. Ken was raised in Fort Worth, Texas and graduated from Carter Riverside High School and the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. He married Judy Kay (Orrell) McEntire in 1977, and the couple had three children: Scott, Karen, and Jeffrey. He was a flight test engineer and a project engineer at Ling-Temco-Vought Aerospace, Bell Helicopter, and AVX Defense Technologies. In his spare time Ken enjoyed reading the Bible; listening to his favorite music: Buddy Holly, Marty Robbins, Al Hibbler, and many Christian hymns; doing crossword puzzles; driving cars; and watching TV shows like Gunsmoke and Jeopardy. He was a member of Countryside Bible Church, where he served as an usher. His family will always remember him as supportive through difficulties, generous in charity, devout in faith, committed to family, humble in achievements, and overflowing with kindness. He was preceded in death by his sister Barbara (McEntire) Lorouse and his son Scott Daniel McEntire. He is survived by his three grandsons Joshua Ford, Luke Ford, and Samuel Makino-McEntire; his son Jeffrey McEntire and daughter-in-law Anna (Makino) McEntire; his daughter Karen (McEntire) Ford and son-in-law Bryan Ford; his wife Judy (Orrell) McEntire; and his sister Ann (McEntire) Hearn. He was a licensed helicopter and airplane pilot and flew family and friends safely across North America.
