Kent "Kenny" R Hart

Salt Lake City, UT – Kent Richard Hart, 51, passed away on Sunday, July 24, 2016 as a result of an accident while hiking with his family in the beautiful mountains of Norway. Kent was born on November 11, 1964 to Richard Lee and LaRae Ann Johnson Hart, in Granger, Utah and was the youngest of four children. Kent graduated from Granger High School in 1983, where he formed lifelong friendships with many, especially the “Ramblers”. As a senior, he served as Senior Class Vice President. Following high school, he attended the University of Utah, majoring in Psychology, graduating Summa Cum Laude. His lifelong goal of becoming an attorney became a reality when he received Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law in 1992.

Kent passed bar exams (Nevada, New York, Connecticut and Utah) and practiced law in Nevada and New York City before returning to Utah in 1999, where he worked six years in the appeals division of the Salt Lake Legal Defender Association. In 2005, he joined the Utah Federal Defender Office, where he has served as an appeals attorney and a specialist in capital cases.

The Utah Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (UACDL), where he had previously served as president, hired Kent as its executive director in 2009 growing the organization to more than 500 members.

Kent loved his work, helping and serving others. In 2011, he was given the ACLU of Utah’s Mickey Duncan Award for outstanding service. In 2012, he was presented with the Utah Minority Bar Association’s Jimi Mitsunaga Award for excellence in criminal law.

Kent also spent eleven years as a Teaching Adjunct Professor at Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) in the Paralegal department.

Kent is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where he served in several capacities, including the High Council, High Priests Group Leadership, the Young Men’s Organization and Gospel Doctrine teacher. He loves the Savior and has patterned his life after him. Kent served a mission in Norway where he grew to love the people and country. As his sons grew older, he wanted to introduce them to the country and the good friends he made, with whom he has remained in contact with throughout the years. A special thank you to Linda and Truls Holth of Oslo, Norway for their loving care of Kent’s family during this difficult time.

From his previous marriage came Kenny’s greatest accomplishment - the birth of his two sons, Anders and Evan. They are the joy of his life and he is so proud of them. He loved to be with them hiking, watching dry-humored movies, and taking them to Jamba Juice or Cold Stone after Friday Night Hart Family Dinners.

In the fall of 2015, Kenny’s heart beat faster when he began dating his wife, Giovanna. They were married in May. He was so happy and thrilled to make plans for the future with her and gained a new friend (daughter) Sofia.

Kent is survived by his sons, Anders and Evan, his wife Giovanna and friend, Sofia; his parents Richard and LaRae Hart; his brother, Mitchell (Michele) Hart; sisters, Maurine Hendrickson and Karen Hart; his niece, nephews, their spouses and children.

A gathering of family and friends will be held on Thursday, August 25, 2016 from 6:00 - 8:00 pm at Valley View Mortuary, 4335 West 4100 South, West Valley City, UT. Additional visitation hours will be held from 10:00 - 11:30 am prior to the memorial service at Noon on Saturday, August 27, 2016. Memorial services will be held at the Sugarhouse LDS Stake Center, on the NE corner of 1700 South and 1100 East.

The entire Hart family would like to thank all those from UACDL, LDA, Utah Federal Defender Office, friends and donors to the GoFundMe account for your generous donations and compassion during this difficult time. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Rocky Mountain Innocence Project at www.rminnocence.org.