Gentrup, Kirk

Gentrup, Kirk

December 13th 1978 - April 8th, 1995

Kirk Gentrup was born December 13th 1978. He was the son of Ken and Diana Gebbink Crowder (both of the class of '69). He died April 8th, 1995. Kirk was killed while playing in a high school baseball game during the Banks of the Wabash Tournament at Riverton Parke High School. He was playing left field for North Vermillion High School and was struck by lightning. He was only 16 years old. The high school gym is named in his honor at North Vermillion High School, located at Cayuga, Indiana.

He had 3 brothers, Dale, Scott and Kaleb and 1 sister, Deena. He was a Sophomore at North Vermillion when he died at the age of 16.

Kirk is buried in Hicks Cemetery , Perrysville, Indiana.

The Commercial-News, Danville, IL

November 21, 2010

Father writes son’s story -

Book published 15 years after teen’s death

BY MARY WICOFF

Commercial-News

DANVILLE — When 16-year-old Kirk Gentrup was killed by lightning in 1995, his father channeled his emotions into words. “That night, I sat down and wrote and wrote and wrote,” Ken “Cruiser” Gentrup of Covington, Ind., said.

On the first anniversary of his son’s death, he spent most of the day writing.

Fifteen years later, those words have been compiled into a book, “Heaven’s Point Guard: The Kirk Gentrup Story” — the story of a star athlete at North Vermillion High School who died too young.

The book was edited by Shaun Kilgore of Danville and published through his business, Founders House Publishing. He also came up with the title. “I feel privileged to be involved in it,” Kilgore said. He was a year older than Kirk when both attended North Vermillion at Cayuga, Ind., and knew Kirk in passing. Kilgore graduated in 1996, and Kirk would have graduated in 1997.

“He was the kind of person everybody knew,” Kilgore said of Kirk, described as outgoing and personable. By helping write the book, he said, “I got to know Kirk and the lives of people he affected. People used him as an example of work ethic and sportsmanship.”

Gentrup wrote the book about his son not only as therapy, but to set the record straight about what happened that day. “I wanted everything to be precise and true — I didn’t want ugly fantasies going around,” he said.

Dark day

Gentrup was an assistant baseball coach that rainy afternoon on April 8, 1995, when North Vermillion faced Rockville at Riverton Parke. His son was known for his basketball skills, but he also played baseball, and was in left field that day. It was the bottom of the fourth inning.

Thunder could be heard in the distance, Gentrup said, and the umpires decided to clear the field after that inning. (Stricter rules are in place now, Gentrup noted.)

Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning, and Kirk fell to the ground.

“I was staring at him when it happened,” his father recalled. “I ran to him.”

The teen was rushed by ambulance to Vermillion County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A doctor said death was probably instantaneous, and Kirk didn’t know what happened.

The young man’s ball cap — with a pinhole, where the lightning entered — is displayed in a trophy case at North Vermillion, along with other tributes to Kirk. His numbers have been retired, and the gymnasium is named after him.

Someone told Gentrup that writing was good therapy, and that’s how he handled his grief during the years. He also established a scholarship in Kirk’s name, and 80-plus scholarships worth $1,000 each have been awarded.

Gentrup coached girls basketball at North Vermillion from 2001 through 2006, leading the teams to a Class A state championship in 2002 and runner-up in 2003. The teams also won 50 games in a row between those two milestones.

Three years ago, Gentrup retired from coaching and from his job at TeePak, and set about reaching his goals — opening an antiques shop and writing a book about his son. He opened 818 Vermilion Antiques in Danville a couple of years ago. Then this April, on the 15th anniversary of his son’s death, he finished his book.

Ready to publish

Gentrup saw a newspaper article about John L. Kilgore Sr., who wrote “Echoes from the Past,” along with his wife, Mary Jane. The book was published by John’s son, Shaun. Gentrup contacted Shaun, who helped with the writing and editing.

“He made it readable,” Gentrup said. However, Kilgore said he had good material to work with. Kilgore worked on it four months, and the book was printed recently.

People who have read the book say it’s a quick read. “I’ve had so many good compliments on it,” Gentrup said. “People say there’s a lot to learn from it.” He added, “It’s an easy read, but a tough read if you knew him (Kirk). It’s emotional to kids (who knew him) to this day.”

Gentrup lives by the philosophy: No matter how bad life is, you can always find a good reason to live.” He takes comfort in knowing that the scholarships have helped students, and that Kirk touched so many lives in a positive way.

Also, he has three grown children — Dale of Catlin, Caleb of Phoenix and Deena Martin of Perrysville, Ind. — and grandchildren to keep him occupied.

Gentrup lives in Covington with his wife, Rhonda. Kirk’s mother, Diana Crowder, lives in Covington. Gentrup has started work on a new project — a book about his winning girls basketball teams. He kept a daily journal of practices and games while he was head basketball coach, and a scrapbook.

TO ORDER

“Heaven’s Point Guard” sells for $20 and may be ordered through http://www.foundershousepublishing.com, and other online book sites, or ordered through bookstores.

It’s also available at the Covered Bridge Restaurant at Eugene, Ind., and 818 Vermilion Antiques, 818 N. Vermilion St., Danville.