Dennis John Kent
Passionate about his family, its history, and the waters of Grand Traverse Bay that he viewed daily from his home, Dennis passed away in Traverse City after a battle with cancer.

He was born in 1951 in Trenton, Michigan to Richard Edward and Ann (Martyniuk) Kent. His childhood was spent in Allen Park, Michigan. But a desire to serve others, especially children, resulted in him leaving home at 11 years old to study for the Catholic priesthood in Indiana. He left the seminary and returned to Traverse City with the realization he wanted the close bonds of a family that would not happen in religious life.

A 1969 graduate of Traverse City High School, he received his Bachelor of Business degree from Ferris State University.

In December 1970 he married Kayren (Houghton) Campbell. They have two daughters, Heather Lee Kittle (Josh) and Holly Sue Lake (Dennis). As a couple, they lived in Big Rapids and then moved to Cadillac to be closer to family in Traverse City.

In 1977 Dennis returned to Traverse City when his employer, Meijer, opened a new store. It was here that Dennis proudly had one of the first solar-heated homes in northern Michigan built without a government subsidy.

After 15 years of marriage, Kayren and Dennis divorced. In 1992 he married Cathy (Eshleman) Bachant. His family grew with the addition of Cathy's children, Christine (Joe Quinnan) and Bob (Beth). Cathy and Dennis met as team members at Meijer. They also teamed up to create KentcoVideo and the two worked as videographers/photographers for weddings and other events.

Like his father before him, Dennis worked most of his professional life in the grocery business. For 36 years Dennis worked in most departments at Meijer including running Distinctions Portrait Studio. He learned from his dad that, "All business is personal." Dennis said he concluded that it's not about money. It's about relationships and trust.

With a deep interest in history, Dennis volunteered at the Traverse Area Historical Society. In retirement, he focused on family history and uncovered links to nearly 9,000 people including potential ties with George Washington and Susan B. Anthony. He loved maintaining the family tree and called it a full-time job that kept his brain active. His wife, Cathy, would frequently find him muttering to himself while seeking help from long-gone relatives. "I talk to dead people," he would tell Cathy.

Dennis was proud to obtain dual US/Canadian citizenship to honor his mother who was born in Canada. On his father's side his great-grandparents, Richard and Velma Kent, came from Canada and settled in South Dakota. Cathy's great-grandparents were also Canadian.

Dennis treasured sailing on Grand Traverse Bay and frequent trips to the south shore of Kauai in Hawaii. He valued his long-time neighbors on West Bay who became more like family. People might know him as the man who passed out chocolates from his purple Crown Royal bag. He loved bringing that simple joy to everyone he encountered daily and literally never left the house without the bag of chocolates.

He is survived by grandchildren, Niamh, Andy, Benjamin, Allison, Jayla, Delilah, Mila, Brennen, Sarah, Ray, and Branson. He has two great-grandchildren, Janessa and Atreus. He is also survived by his sister Connie Wood, and brothers Edward (Belinda) and Michael (Maggie). He is pre-deceased by his parents and brother-in-law Jim Wood.

A memorial service will be held at noon on Monday, April 15 at the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home with a visitation beginning at 10 prior to the service. Kindly share thoughts and memories with his family at www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com .