John Raymond Gentile

John Raymond Gentile was born on August 31, 1945 to Katherine Delano Gentile and John Raymond Gentile. John spent his childhood in Brooklyn, NY in a large immigrant Italian American family. At age 17, he joined the U.S. Navy and went off to see the world…in Groton, CT. After John’s military service, he made his way to Wall St. to try and learn the stock trade, but quickly became interested in the precious metals market. He loved his work. He knew everything there was to know about the precious metals industry, and felt most at home surrounded by dirty, broken discarded jewelry. His career led him to a management position at Republic Metals Corporation where his coworkers became like family.

John was a man of simple needs—a bowl of rigatoni and a soccer game or a good book was all he needed to be content. John moved to Miami in 1976 and spent the majority of his adulthood in South Florida. While living in Palm Springs North, he spent a number of years involved in community athletics and took great pride in coaching his soccer teams with PSN. Many years later, the girls from his teams affectionately still think of him as “Coach.” This nickname stuck and when his first grandchild was born, he chose to be called “Coach” instead of grandpa.

John fought a valiant and brave fight against cancer, never complaining, stoic and strong. His earthly status changed early in the morning of July 2, 2017. John is survived by his daughter, Kristin Hooten (Michael), and step-sons, Douglas Savor (Michele) and David Savor (Stacie), as well as grandchildren: Adam, Thomas, Maxwell, Julia, Jackson, and Logan. He is also survived by wonderful cousins and many dear friends and co-workers who love him a great deal. John was a mentor to many and a friend to the underdog. John is preceded in death by his mother (Katherine), father (John), brother (Jojo), step-son (Greg), and his beloved aunts, uncle, and grandparents.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, July 6th at 4:00 pm at Forest Lawn Funeral Home in Fort Lauderdale. Please come as you are (even in jeans and flip-flops), as John was not a man who stood on formality. Friends and family are encouraged to come and share their fondest memories, and laugh and grieve together.

Because John was such an avid reader, specializing in the 25-cent thrift store finds, the family asks that you take a moment to go through your own book collection and make a donation to your local library or thrift store. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to a charity of your choice which supports U.S. Veterans. A list of potential organizations can be found at https://www.charitywatch.org/top-rated-charities and follow the link for Veterans and Military