Kerri Gentine

Kerri Dyan Gentine came into this world at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, as the first child born to Jo Anne and Carl Gentine. It was August 21, 1968, when the song "Carrie Anne" by the Hollies was getting airplay, and for the rest of her life, whenever she heard it, she would sing "Hey, Kerri Dyan" and encourage whoever was with her to do the same.

Her mother reports she was brilliant from the day she was born. At the age of 2, on her own, she read her first words. She made up names for those closest to her, her mother and her sister. Jo Anne became Petula Pottress, and Kristin, Olivia Newton Tuna Fish. Words would remain a love of hers for her entire life, whether it was poetry, fiction, journalism, or song lyrics, of which she had an exhaustive knowledge.

Kerri's mother remembers that Kerri could not stand for anyone to be alone for holidays and she would regularly invite teachers and school friends to their house for Christmas.

In high school in Edgewood, Maryland, Kerri was a cheerleader, played softball and lacrosse, wrote for the school paper, was an honor student, and Homecoming beauty. Unable to stand for anyone to be alone for the holidays, Kerri's mom could count on setting a few extra plates for friends or teachers that Kerri had discovered would have otherwise been alone for Christmas.

She fell in love with the idea of Alabama, listening to tales told to her by a beloved neighbor who was from the Camellia state. (Kerri would later joke that for this reason, and because her grandfather was called Big Al, she decided to attend the University of Alabama.)

There she joined a sorority, Delta Zeta, and wrote for the school's newspaper, "The Crimson White." She was an avid fan of the music scene and probably knew everyone in every band that was based in Tuscaloosa, and eventually started a band, herself. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree from the New College with concentrations in Creative Writing and Literature in 1990, and a Master of Arts in English in 1993.

From there she did coursework at the University of Louisville, but returned to her beloved Tuscaloosa to complete her Ph.D., saying Tuscaloosa was the place she just felt best. The pull was so strong that ultimately her sister and mother joined her. She taught English for the University of Alabama, Shelton State, and the University of Montevallo, and also became an award-winning reporter for Alabama Public Radio.

She married, and it is a credit it to her, that even when relationships with boys (or a husband) ended, she was frequently able to maintain a warm relationship with them.

Kerri left her mark on everyone she met, and even though her last six years, spent in Birmingham, are a bit of a mystery to family and longtime friends, what they do know is that not even Bipolar Disorder could steal from Kerri, the magnetism that drew people to her. She was a member of the Cathedral Church of Advent, where she attended services regularly and was remembered at her memorial there as "Kitty, whose presence was a gift to her sisters and brothers at Cathedral Advent."

Kerri slipped away on October 23, 2018, from an apparent heart attack, while lying on her couch in Birmingham, listening to music. She was, reportedly, working on a novel.

She leaves behind her mother, Jo Anne Gentine; her father, Carl Gentine and stepmother Suzi Gentine in Tuscola, Texas; sister, Kristin Gentine, Tuscaloosa; Aunt Monica Langford, Kansas City, Missouri; Aunt and Uncle Paul and Muriel Gentine, Kansas; and Uncle Marc Gentine, Texas. Cousins include Derek Langford, Devon Deluca, Paul Gentine, JR., and Scott Gentine.

She was much loved and will always be missed. A memorial service will be held at Canterbury Episcopal Church on December 1, 2018 at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to the National Alliance for Mental Illness or the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama.

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