Shannon "Red" Gentry

Visitation for Shannon "Red" Gentry, 58, of Nacogdoches will be held from 5-7pm on Thursday, December 18, 2025 at Laird Funeral Home.  Mr. Gentry passed away on Wednesday, December 10, 2025.  He was born on May 24, 1967 in Nacogdoches.  

If you knew him, you loved him.  Those who didn’t know him missed out on one of the best friends a person could have.  Shannon “Red” Gentry was one of a kind and lived his life his own way.  He was always happy and made his friends a priority.  He was a gentle soul, dedicating himself to making sure others had what they needed.  He was a hard worker and committed to all those he loved.  Red never met a stranger, which made his trips to Walmart even more enjoyable.  He loved going to pawn shops and Bass Pro, but mostly to just “look around”.  No day was complete without him ending up at a friend’s house to shoot the bull, because that is what he lived for.  He always wanted others to have better than him and if he could make it happen, he would but never expected anything in return.  Except for socks….he had more socks than anyone in the entire county!  That is a whole other story that his friends will have to explain when they are ready to, and when they do, they can also explain bungy cords and zip-ties!

Red was always full of crazy ideas and when he voiced them, he typically followed up with a “it was just a thought” and a simple “hear me out now”.  Although it usually involved the many jobs he had going on with tractors or old cars, those ideas went further than just that.  He had dreams and spoke of them as if he was planning them, but he was truly hoping he would win the lottery and be able to buy his ranch and have his cows!  However, until then, he spent his time hunting and fishing, which was just as good in his mind.

Red loved Coca-Cola, a green Monster and his Copenhagen.  But none of them were worth it if he wasn’t surrounded by his friends and co-workers.  He loved German chocolate pie, pork roast and the weekly steaks at LugNutz. 

Although he didn’t have children of his own, he was able to live the life of a father by watching the children of his best friends grow up.  He was dedicated and supportive to Mellissa, Corey, Dylan and many more. He was so proud of them all.     

Shannon “Red” Gentry will forever be a great memory to those closest to him and as of now, they will have to figure out who to call when they need roadside help, because the one guy they could always depend on being 5 minutes away, has other things to do now.

He is survived by his sister, Kim Dyess; niece, Brittany Lane & husband Mark, nephew Skyler Dyess and great nieces, Kennedy, Hadleigh and Parker.

He is also survived by the many people that not only knew him but enjoyed his friendship and loved him back.  Those he worked with for 20 plus years at Sonerra Resources and his friends were more than that… they were also his family.

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