James Kent

James Donald (Don) Kent, 101, died on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2019, after a long life and a good one.

On Christmas Day 1917, he was born in Kingston, but just barely—his mother had caught the last available skillypot ferry across the river. The family moved to the historic Spy House on Hurley’s Main Street, from whence he graduated Kingston High School. He later earned a bachelor’s degree from Maryville College and a master’s degree from the University of Denver . At Maryville he met Mary Wintermute, whom he wisely married and with whom he spent almost 70 years until her death in 2011.

Don was drafted in the summer of 1941 and served in the Army Air Corps throughout World War II. After a short stint as a civilian, he returned to the military in 1948, serving through the Korean War and the early years of Vietnam. After retiring from the Air Force with the rank of major, he served as public relations director for the College at New Paltz, then retired again and he and Mary moved back to the Spy House. He enjoyed retiring.

He was a lifelong citizen of Ulster County, but not always a resident since his military career required him to live elsewhere for a couple of decades. Wherever he and Mary lived, he was a formidable booster of this area, and when they returned he served on the New Paltz school board and on the consistories of the Reformed churches of New Paltz and later Hurley. As a public relations professional, he worked relentlessly to promote such local events as Hurley’s Stone House Day (second Saturday in July every year--don’t miss it).

Don’s sense of humor was legendary. His jokes were never nasty and were often self-effacing. When a fellow school board member accused him of thinking he’d been born in a log cabin, he replied, “No, you’re thinking of Lincoln. I was born in a manger.” He was also an incurable punster, an affliction which has been passed down for at least two generations so far. You, Gentle Reader, will be spared examples of this.

He had opinions on many topics, but he adhered firmly to two increasingly quaint notions: First, that an opinion should be based on facts, so he was an omnivorous reader who subscribed to reliable news publications and almost always had his television turned to a news channel unless the Yankees were playing; and second, that opinions should change as conditions changed or new facts came to light, so he preferred to attribute a politician’s position shift not to nefarious flip-flopping but to commendable awareness and education.
As the 101-year-old poster child for lifelong learning, Don enjoyed conversing with all sorts of people so he could find out what they knew and how they felt about it. When he and Mary travelled throughout the world (and all the way around it twice), they met a wide variety of people, listened to a wide variety of stories, and so made a wide variety of friends. A staff member at his facility, erroneously believing him to be depressed, once asked if he wanted to talk to a psychologist. “Oh, yes,” he replied, “psychologists are very interesting.”

He never said it this way, but it was always clear that the key principle guiding his and Mary’s life was stewardship—the idea that everything we have is meant to be used in the service of others. This implied a solid commitment to hospitality. They hosted around 30 students from about 20 different countries; estimates of the number of young residents and house guests range between 45 and 50, counting only those who stayed for at least a couple of weeks. They would also step outside to offer tours of the 300-year-old Spy House to anyone who came by and peered in the windows. They knew that hospitality means being a good guest as well as an eager host, so they (and their children) politely ate whatever was put before them, not inquiring into the ingredients.

Stewardship requires promoting justice, and Don’s indignation at any action or policy that seemed unfair was instant and unflagging. He was a generous donor to many organizations that promote justice and education. Knowing that no one should be left behind or ignored or mistreated because of something that isn’t their fault, he fully and enthusiastically supported Mary’s distinguished career as a pioneer in the field of special education.

Most of all, stewardship requires integrity: Facing and naming what is real about the world and about oneself and constantly seeking improvement, no matter who or what is impeding it. If this were easy, everybody would be doing it. They’re not, but Don and Mary did.

At this point it is traditional and may be mandatory to state that Don was the son of George Kent, Sr., and Charlotte Delamater and the brother of George Kent, Jr., all of whom predeceased him by comfortable margins.

His children are Jim, Ruth, Rachel, David, and Linda Kent, Rebecca Masters, and Lori Rothman, so he is ultimately responsible for nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He was also Dad or Grandpa to all those global-nomad house guests, and Uncle Don to a vast and boisterous horde of nieces and nephews, not all of them technically related to him.

He had made arrangements to donate his body to a medical school, hoping that they could figure out how he had lived so long and held up so well. They probably won’t come up with the answer he always gave: “Great sex.”

A memorial celebration is planned for Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019, Family will greet friends at the Hurley Reformed Church hall beginning at 12:30 p.m. with a remembrance service in the church at 2 p.m.

Donations may be made to Maryville College, The Arc of Ulster-Greene, Hurley Reformed Church, the Southern Poverty Law Center, or any other organization of your choice that supports equality, service, or international understanding. (Do check first, though, to make sure they accurately reflect his and Mary’s values.)

Simpson-Hammerl Funeral Home, 411 Albany Ave is honored to assist the family with the arrangements.