OUR story

GREG'S story

​"Portant things". As a child Greg was blessed with a wide ranging curiosity and when he learned new things he would declare them to be 'portant things'. He was not only eager to learn but beyond that seemed driven by a need to learn. He explained his love of the Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel and the History Channel  in simple terms, "if you are going to watch TV you may as well learn something." Learning was one of Greg's 'portant things'.

​Greg was born in Suffern, NY and lived in Monroe, NY before moving to East Brunswick, NJ 19 years ago when his parents divorced. It was soon thereafter that he met his friends Anthony, Jon and Ryan.  In our lives we have the families we have  but then we have the brothers we choose. Greg, Ryan, Jon and Anthony chose each other and the bond they formed in childhood grew into the brotherhood they felt for each other as adults. They are men who would do anything for each other. Greg would not only do anything for his "brothers" but he would embrace the adventure that went with it. Beth's brother Ken looked on Greg as much a brother to him as Beth is his sister. And Greg looked at his in-laws, Bernie and Elaine as another beautiful extension of family. These brothers, this family of choice, were very 'portant things' to Greg.

At the tender age of 15, Greg met his wife, Beth. Greg always had a strong sense of others emotions. He could be solicitous to the point of being annoying. During high school freshman science class, Greg saw Beth bummed out over a recent teeny bopper break-up, and there is Greg sharing some music to try to cheer her up. Sitting there listening to the Limp Bizkit music given to her by Greg, Beth is thinking, "why is he talking to me?" And, "hmm...I like those blue eyes." This is true love story material. In the popular movie, "Hitch" with Will Smith, the "Date Doctor" explains that in case you missed high school, playful hitting is good.  So when we come to gym class and Greg whacks Beth with the volleyball, you could cue the wedding music right there.  Greg and Beth married 10 years later in August 2010 and their wedding was the beautiful and almost fairy tale beginning of their married life together.  Nothing was more 'portant'' to Greg than Beth.

Life was not all easy for Greg. His mother, Martha, may she rest in peace, suffered through hard times and those times were not easy on her children.  Greg and his sister Melissa had to be strong for family at times when their mom could not be strong for them.  Through all of this Greg and Melissa shared a bond of love and perseverance in the face of adversity.  Greg's love of his family never wavered and the passing of his mother 6 months before he was killed affected him deeply. Family was very 'portant' to Greg. 

Despite this hardship, or perhaps because of it, Greg committed himself to his education.  He worked as a bartender at Red Lobster, he worked at PC Warehouse as a Computer Repair Technician, he worked his way through college and got the student loans he needed to continue pushing through to his goal. And to no-one's surprise he succeeded and graduated from DeVry University with a Bachelor's Degree in Electronics Engineering Technology.  He went on to work at TDK-Lambda in Tinton Falls, NJ as a Junior Engineer before moving to his Quality Test Engineer job at HiTran Corp. in Flemington, NJ.  Education and building his career were very 'portant' to Greg.

Ask anyone about Greg and you get the same answers: He never judged.  He would give you the shirt off his back.  He was kind to everyone he met.  Everything he did, he did with passion and integrity.  He was intensely competitive. He was driven to do better, to be smarter and to have more and better things.  He was a gadget fanatic.  He had to have the latest electronic gizmos.  In fact, another childhood saying was "get toy".  And as a child would in a toy store, Greg would often look through the latest gadgets and say to Beth, "get toy."  Thus was his passion for firearms and hunting.  Greg loved his guns, and hunting, and after his last hunting trip, he decided he also needed a cross-bow. "Get toy." Even though it involved no gadgets, Greg really loved rolling around and playing with his dogs Guinness and Belle. No technology needed.

Riding his red Kawasaki Ninja 650R, was a big passion and reason to feel alive for Greg.  He loved the thrill of the ride and the way it empowered his soul to his core. He was an advocate to be a well educated rider. After receiving his motorcycle permit in NJ, he successfully passed the Rider Education Safety course and obtained his motorcycle license. Soon after, riding his motorcycle was his main means of transportation. He even invested in rain gear so he could ride in not so comfortable weather. He always stressed safety for the rider and for the driver. He knew the risks involved with riding a motorcycle but Greg's way to live was, don't fear dying, fear not living. 

At the time that Greg was killed, his wife Beth was 7 months pregnant with their first child, Christopher.  Greg was an excited father-to-be and a man who loved his wife more than anything or anyone else.  There is a saying that the best gift you can give to your children is to love their mother.  Greg truly loved Beth.  Because of their great love, Christopher is here today and born with an amazing legacy.  Christopher is a true gift that brings so much happiness to family and friends. He looks and acts just like his dad. We are truly blessed to have Christopher. He is the most 'portant' thing to us. 

May Greg's memory and his legacy live on in the memories that we cherish of him and advocating for the motorcycle community in his memory. GMG Foundation Inc., DRIVE AWARE - RIDERS ARE THERE was founded by Greg's widow, Beth and she chose the closest individuals to Greg to help her advocate motorcycle awareness, education and safety.  

I am Gregory M. Gentile. I was killed on 5/17/2012 by a negligent driver while riding my motorcycle on the way home from work. I was an Electrical Engineer, a loving husband to my high school sweetheart, excited father-to-be to my son, a fun loving brother, a caring son, a hunter, a Yankess fan, a computer/gadget wiz, a guy with a tattoo of his dog.  That's me, just one person to the world.  My passion for motorcycles and love of the open road took my life and I never got to meet my son or say good bye to my loved ones.  I'm just another statistic in fatal motorcycle tragedies. But it's really so much more. Every time you get behind the wheel or handle bars, your life and other lives are in your hands. Please, DRIVE AWARE - RIDERS ARE THERE.  With your help and support of motorcycle awareness, we can save lives and reduce those cold statistics. Let's protect all current riders whether they're on sport bikes or Harleys. Thank you sincerely from my heart. 

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 GMG Foundation INC.

​​  DRIVE AWARE - RIDERS ARE THERE

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