barry bentley:
CLASS OF 1972
Ketron High SchoolClass of 1972
Kingsport, TN
barry's Story
I really wanted to be part of the lives of the people that surrounded me everyday. I just never seem to fit in. I was always on the out skirts of all the different cliques. I knew most everyone but never felt I belonged any where. I lacked 1 credit to pass High School and in 1972's graduation I walked across the stage to get an empty diploma cover. I really felt out of the loop then. I farted around for about 2 years with the lost boys in Bloomingdale during that time. I finally got the fortitude to go get me GED. I joined the Army in July 1976 and actually left for duty in August 29th, 1976. I stayed in for three years spending all my time in Hawaii. That was some of the best years of my life. I got to meet people from around the world, scuba diving almost every other weekend, backpacking on the other Islands. When I got out it was September 1979. I played around in southern California for a few months and came back home in December 1979. Not a popular move with my mom, which turned out to make me more driven to suceed at somthing in my life. I ran about ten miles a day for years while I attended the university of East Tennessee getting two degrees in Biology and all I could do was teach school. I taught school in Dekalb County Georgia for about six years. I came back to Tennessee with a good chunk of money from my retirement account and blew it all in about half a year on garbage. Back in 1982 I married Paula Lowe and we had a son born to us, Gavin Bentley in November 16th 1983. We did a lot of camping and visiting family.
In 1992 I went back and got my Nursing RN degree in may 1994. I worked at Mountian Home till 2003 then transferred to St. Petersburg Florida. Paula and I divorced in 2007 due to her addiction to alcohol and died in 2010. She died the night I remarried to a Chinese lady Yueli. I never thought I could find such love in my life. I glad I found it before GOD took me home. God has blessed us tremendously. We bought a house and paid cask for it in June 2010. When I retire I plan to live half the year in China and the other half in US. I want to ...Expand for more
get a part time job in China teaching english. Back in 2007 if not for my dog BO I dont know what Id done. He kept me going, he was so loving and stayed with me all the time. He became a service dog for dying veterans in 2010 until he passed away in July 2012. Hundreds of veterans and their families loved him. When his death was announced in one of our memorial services for the veterans who had passed away in last quarter, we always remember the volunteers also who passed also. When Bo's name was read 400 people sighed in grief. This let us know how important he was to so many people. I am still grieving but my wife Yueli's love for me makes me smile everyday. Her son my step son is a wonderful 18yo teenager. If american kids behaved as he does we would be very thankful.
So now I plan for retirement in four years, my famiies future, my relationship to my son Gavin in Johnson City, TN. And my life continues to Chapter 10.
I now work as a nurse on a hospice unit where I care for and comfort the dying and their family members. Hospice was a great change from psychiatry for me. I am very appreciated for my ability to comfort the dying in their last week, day, and hours. GOD gave me many talents and I am grateful to him for that. When I retire at 62 I plan to go to China and teach english as a part time job. Chinese pay lots of money to learn english, but I wil not gouge them like some of the people do. I plan to travel to different areas in the world, write a book or two, teach sunday school to anyone who wants to know and finish out my life as GOD's servant. I have served others all my life after I finally found my way. I served my country in the US Army for 3 years active duty and 7 years active reserves, then served 4 years in the active US Air Force Reserves = an honorable discharge of 14 years of service. I taught children the love of science for eight years and have been a nurse now for eighteen years.
I served in churches for about 5 years in the capacity of deacon and then elder. I will now serve GOD in everyday life probably not iever n a church again.
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