Gere Allen Tharpe

October 10, 1925

Gere was born on October 10, 1925 in Shreveport, Louisiana. He was a precocious boy who shot out neighborhood street lights for fun. That didn’t mix well, as his father was the Director of Public Works for the city. Gere never did that again! In 1943, he joined the US Coast Guard and eventually boarded the USS El Paso as a Signalman. Off the coast of the Philippines, the ship got caught up in a typhoon for three long days. The ship lost all method of communications in the storm and iron cannon barrels were bent at right angles due to the extreme winds. The Coast Guard even declared the ship lost at sea. Dad and his best two buddies onboard vowed if they survived, they would meet in Stillwater Oklahoma and attend Oklahoma A&M. Gere did indeed attend OSU, and became a member of SAE. It didn’t take him long to meet his sweetheart Pat Renfrow on a blind date during dance hour. They married in 1949 in a small country church in Holdenville, Oklahoma. When grandchildren starting arriving, Gere affectionately referred to them as Varmit#1, Varmit#2,…etc. Gere was a great husband, father and friend. He was a loving, happy go lucky guy, who never met a stranger. He loved all the sports games, playing golf, and most of all, the many many card games with his buddies and took great delight to take the pots. He was an annoying winner. A big Thank You from the family goes out to The First Tee guys and gals, who kept Gere lively and very entertained. Gere is survived by daughter Karen Hill, husband Ben Hill, grandsons Benji and Chris Hill, wife Lisa and great-grandsons Cameron and Tyler and one on the way due on Christmas. Also survived by sons Mark wife Arlene and grandson Brett. Son Marshall, wife Lisa and granddaughters Whitney and Mallory. He is preceded in death by his beloved wife Pat who departed in 2007. It gives the family great comfort to know that they have reunited in Heaven and are most likely dancing the Jitterbug.