July 26, 1930-Nov. 20, 2016

Elsworth William Kent, 86, our beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, passed on to Heaven on Sunday.

He is survived by his wife, Nellie Lane Kent; children, Donna Jean Kent; sons, Jeffery William Kent, Todd Francis Kent (Lisa); step-children, Elizabeth Bolton (Ken), Diane Mosley (Sid), William Ellsworth (Lori), Anne Wray (Robert); grandchildren, Chase Kent (Kristi), Austin Kent (Lauren), Julia Kent and Jack Kent; step-grandchildren, Lauren Buchanan, Autumn Lee, Meredith Mosley, Hannah Bolton, John Thomas Bolton and Seth Mosley; great-grandchildren, Olivia Kent, Titus Kent Buchanan.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Earl and Allie Tadlock Kent; his stepfather, Elmer Talbert; brothers, Willis Lee Kent, Lewis Earl Kent; foster brother, Lloyd Taylor; and grandson, Hayes Kent. 

He was born in Elsberry, Missouri, and lived in Clarksville, Missouri, with his family until he joined the United States Navy. He was the son of Earl and Allie Tadlock Kent. “Kent,” as he was called, graduated from Clarksville Public Schools, as the salutatorian, in 1948. He was then employed on the riverboats until 1951. Kent was a veteran serving in the United States Navy as an aviation machinist on the aircraft carrier Ticonderoga from 1951 until he retired in 1959. He then worked for numerous barge lines throughout the U.S. until he became employed with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as captain on the motor vessel Benyaurd on the Mississippi River from 1989 until he retired in 1997. He and his wife, Nell, settled in Vicksburg from 1989 until 2013, when they moved to Mobile, Alabama to be closer to family.

Kent enjoyed hunting and fishing; he also enjoyed woodworking, listening to country music and he loved being with family. His quiet, kind demeanor will be remembered most. 

Funeral services were held from the Mobile Memorial Gardens Funeral Home Chapel on Friday, Nov. 25, 2016, at 2 p.m. Visitation was at 11 a.m. for family and at noon for family and friends. Pallbearers were Jeffery Kent, Todd Kent, Chase Kent, Austin Kent, Ken Bolton Jr., Sid Mosley and William Ellsworth IV. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requested donations be made to Bovina Baptist Church, Vicksburg. Condolences may be offered at mobilememorialfunerals.com. Arrangements were handled by Mobile Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, 6040 Three Notch Road, Mobile, AL  36619.