[Iabs-talk] Dad's Obituary

[Patti Gregory-Chang]

Our thoughts are with Debbie Kent Stein as she morns the death of her 
father.   Funeral arrangements are specified below.

 Gordon L.  Kent

Gordon L. Kent formerly of Little Falls

Retired attorney Gordon L. Kent, formerly of the law firm of Budd, Larner in
Short Hills, died unexpectedly of heart failure on Wednesday January 21. He
was 86.

Born in Newark on May 14, 1922, Gordon grew up in Allenhurst and graduated
from Asbury Park High School. Throughout his life, he spoke fondly of his
youth
at the Jersey shore and time spent on the boardwalk. While a student at
Rutgers College in New Brunswick, he met the love of his life, Doris Vander
May,
a Douglass College student. The two were married in 1947. Gordon received
his diploma with the Rutgers Class of 1947. In 1948, he graduated from
Rutgers
Law School.

His first four years as an attorney were spent with the Hartford Insurance
Company. In 1952, he was invited by John Budd and Samuel Larner to join the
law
firm of Budd, Larner, then in Newark. He specialized as a defense attorney
in civil litigation. He soon became a partner, and during the course of a
distinguished
career watched the firm successfully grow to well over thirty lawyers. He
retired from the practice in 1987.

Gordon and Doris moved to Little Falls in 1952 and spent the bulk of their
lives there. Summers were spent at Green Pond, a treat for which his
children
will be forever grateful. In Little Falls, he served as a member of the
township committee for a term in the 1950s and as town magistrate from
1961-1964.
As magistrate, his children remember him occasionally performing marriages
in the family living room. In 2005, he and his wife moved to Cedar Crest
Village
in Pompton Plains.

Stamp collecting and the collecting of presidential letters, documents, and
autographs were two of Gordon's special hobbies. His true passion, however,
was travel. Through the years, the Kents were always game to hop on a plane
and take off for somewhere interesting. Their many travels included a 1959
trip to Russia and Poland, as well as later trips to Kenya, Japan,
Australia, China, Outer Mongolia, and dozens of other countries. Their
suitcases were
covered with stickers marking the many places they had visited. Gordon and
Doris were also avid boosters of the Rutgers football team. Win or lose, in
good weather and bad, the two could always be found in the stands at Rutgers
Stadium cheering on their Scarlet Knights.

Those who knew Gordon will miss his unfailing sense of humor, his natural
friendliness to all, his unerring wisdom, and his dignity in times of
trouble.
After sixty years of happily married life together, Doris died in 2007.
Gordon's brother Robert B. Kent of Deal also predeceased him. He is survived
and
deeply mourned by his sister Autumn Mesick of San Antonio, Texas, his three
children, Deborah Stein of Chicago, Zachary Kent of Passaic, and Gordon S.
Kent of Washington, D.C., as well as by his loving granddaughter Janna M.
Stein of Chicago.

Funeral services will be held at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home,
567 Ratzer Road, Wayne. Friends may visit with the family at the funeral
home
on Tuesday January 27 from 2-6 pm. Services will be conducted at the chapel
there at 6 pm. Please visit www.vandermay.com

Those planning an expression of sympathy in Gordon's memory are asked to
consider a donation to the Jules and Jane Plangere Endowed Scholarship,
Rutgers
University Foundation, Winants Hall, attn: Gift Planning, 7 College Avenue,
New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901 (checks should be made payable to Rutgers
University
Foundation and note Plangere

>
> Hi, Patti,
>
> I thought you might find this interesting, especially since it talks about 
> Dad's history as a lawyer.  If you think it's appropriate for Il-Talk feel 
> free to post it.
>
> Love,
> Debbie
>
>
> Gordon L.  Kent
>
> Gordon L. Kent formerly of Little Falls
>
> Retired attorney Gordon L. Kent, formerly of the law firm of Budd, Larner 
> in Short Hills, died unexpectedly of heart failure on Wednesday January 
> 21. He
> was 86.
>
> Born in Newark on May 14, 1922, Gordon grew up in Allenhurst and graduated 
> from Asbury Park High School. Throughout his life, he spoke fondly of his 
> youth
> at the Jersey shore and time spent on the boardwalk. While a student at 
> Rutgers College in New Brunswick, he met the love of his life, Doris 
> Vander May,
> a Douglass College student. The two were married in 1947. Gordon received 
> his diploma with the Rutgers Class of 1947. In 1948, he graduated from 
> Rutgers
> Law School.
>
> His first four years as an attorney were spent with the Hartford Insurance 
> Company. In 1952, he was invited by John Budd and Samuel Larner to join 
> the law
> firm of Budd, Larner, then in Newark. He specialized as a defense attorney 
> in civil litigation. He soon became a partner, and during the course of a 
> distinguished
> career watched the firm successfully grow to well over thirty lawyers. He 
> retired from the practice in 1987.
>
> Gordon and Doris moved to Little Falls in 1952 and spent the bulk of their 
> lives there. Summers were spent at Green Pond, a treat for which his 
> children
> will be forever grateful. In Little Falls, he served as a member of the 
> township committee for a term in the 1950s and as town magistrate from 
> 1961-1964.
> As magistrate, his children remember him occasionally performing marriages 
> in the family living room. In 2005, he and his wife moved to Cedar Crest 
> Village
> in Pompton Plains.
>
> Stamp collecting and the collecting of presidential letters, documents, 
> and autographs were two of Gordon's special hobbies. His true passion, 
> however,
> was travel. Through the years, the Kents were always game to hop on a 
> plane and take off for somewhere interesting. Their many travels included 
> a 1959
> trip to Russia and Poland, as well as later trips to Kenya, Japan, 
> Australia, China, Outer Mongolia, and dozens of other countries. Their 
> suitcases were
> covered with stickers marking the many places they had visited. Gordon and 
> Doris were also avid boosters of the Rutgers football team. Win or lose, 
> in
> good weather and bad, the two could always be found in the stands at 
> Rutgers Stadium cheering on their Scarlet Knights.
>
> Those who knew Gordon will miss his unfailing sense of humor, his natural 
> friendliness to all, his unerring wisdom, and his dignity in times of 
> trouble.
> After sixty years of happily married life together, Doris died in 2007. 
> Gordon's brother Robert B. Kent of Deal also predeceased him. He is 
> survived and
> deeply mourned by his sister Autumn Mesick of San Antonio, Texas, his 
> three children, Deborah Stein of Chicago, Zachary Kent of Passaic, and 
> Gordon S.
> Kent of Washington, D.C., as well as by his loving granddaughter Janna M. 
> Stein of Chicago.
>
> Funeral services will be held at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral 
> Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne. Friends may visit with the family at the 
> funeral home
> on Tuesday January 27 from 2-6 pm. Services will be conducted at the 
> chapel there at 6 pm. Please visit www.vandermay.com
>
> Those planning an expression of sympathy in Gordon's memory are asked to 
> consider a donation to the Jules and Jane Plangere Endowed Scholarship, 
> Rutgers
> University Foundation, Winants Hall, attn: Gift Planning, 7 College 
> Avenue, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901 (checks should be made payable to 
> Rutgers University
> Foundation and note Plangere Scholarship).