E. William "Bill" Kent

Dr. Erma William (Bill) Kent, 83, passed away at his residence on Monday, December 21, 2015. Funeral Services will be held on Thursday, December 24 at 11 a.m. at the Mausoleum Chapel at Macon Memorial Park. The Rev. Jimmy Corbitt will officiate. The family will greet friends following the service. Entombment will be in the Mausoleum Chapel. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the donor’s favorite charity.

Dr. Kent was the son of the late Otha Uria Kent and Rebecca Biontilene Ford Kent. His fraternal grandparents were Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Hershel Kent and maternal grandparents were Mr. and Mrs. Tom J. Ford. He was the husband of Jacqueline Eloise Strong of Macon and was retired from the Bibb County Board of Education and from the Macon Telegraph. Dr. Kent was a charter member of Riverside Methodist Church.

A 1950 graduate of Lanier High School for Boys, he attended Mercer University and held the following degrees from the University of Georgia; B.S Degree, Master Degree in Trade and Industrial Education and Administration and Supervision, Specialist Degree in Administration and Supervision, and a Doctor of Education Degree from the University of Georgia. All college work was completed while holding full employment.

Dr. Kent served in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict in the 82nd Airborne Division. He initially became a boiler maker as was his father and brother. He was later employed for 11 years at the Macon Telegraph & News as an advertising executive. Dr. Kent worked for the Bibb County Board of Education developing programs and curriculum for the various aspects of the school system. He retired as a Lt. Col. from the Georgia State Defense Force.

In 1968, Dr. Kent joined the Bibb County School System as State of Georgia Industrial Coordinator for the Macon Area Vocational-Technical. Dr. Kent later served as Board Secretary recording all official actions of the Board of Education. He later served as Director of Transportation and Custodial Services; and served on numerous committees for Southern Accreditation Association. He retired as Director of Transportation in 1994 after 34 years of service with the Bibb County School System.

Survivors include his wife, Jackie Kent of Macon; children, Cynthia Kent Whiteside and Steven Russell Kent; six grandchildren and one great-grandchild; siblings, Louie Kent and Mary Ann Wilder; and several nieces and nephews.

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Snow’s Memorial Chapel, Cherry Street, has charge of arrangements.