Seattle Times Obituary
Marita Faye Kent, 55, of Kent, Washington, died May 9, 2013. She was born in Renton, Washington, on July 4, 1957, to William and Fay Barton. She graduated from Glacier High School in 1975 and was educated at Multnomah Bible College. On May 6, 1978 she married the love of her life, Dan Kent. She worked at Key Bank for 10 years, before she left for the passion of her life to invest in the lives of her 3 beloved children. She found joy in being a stay at home mom; and enjoyed volunteering in her children's classrooms and with the school board to review and approve curriculum. She served as a Sunday School teacher, church deaconess, and a mentor to young women and moms through MOPS and Mom's Connection. With her gentle spirit and loving heart, Marita faithfully served as the Nursery Coordinator for many years; devotedly loving babies, young children, and their families.
She loved reading, traveling; and was a talented seamstress and gardener. She fought a long and hard fight against Stage 4 Breast Cancer, and defied the odds repeatedly. Marita never let a medical diagnosis or prognosis define who she was, as she knew her identity was in Jesus Christ alone. Her unwavering faith in God was a witness to all; including her Group Health care team. Yet even throughout her own struggle, she reached out to others in many ways; and found it her ministry to share the positive attitude and hope with all who came in contact with her.
She leaves her dearly loved husband of 35 years, Dan Kent; her mother, Fay Barton; her children, Kari Burt (Josh); Kevin Kent (Lia); Kraig Kent (Stephanie); her precious grandchildren: Parker, Madison, Max, and Molly; her siblings, Debbie Slattery (Glyn) and Doug Barton (Lisa); her in-laws, M. W. Sherman, Jerry and Carol Kent, Ronald Kent (Tami), and Randy Kent (Karen) and many other close beloved members of her extended family.
A Memorial Service to celebrate Marita Kent's life will be held at 3 p.m. on Friday, May 17, 2013, at Boulevard Park Presbyterian Church in Seattle, WA. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to Boulevard Park Presbyterian Church or Young Life at www.kent.younglife.org.
