Ronald Martin Kent

      Ronald Martin Kent was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

      Ronald was born on December 13, 1935 at Matthews Memorial Hospital in Richards Landing, Ontario. His parents were Clarence and Viola Kent. Ronald was raised in Kentvale, St. Joseph Island, Ontario. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

      Growing up in the Kent household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Ronald was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Ronald was raised with two siblings. He had twin sister Judith and younger sister Carol. Ronald and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Ronald was always consistently loyal to his family.

      While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Ronald as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from Collegiate High School, Sault Ste. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. Ronald was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. Ronald always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him.

      College life brought with it a new set of challenges, but Ronald handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, Ronald was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete his class work. He seemed to thrive on college reading assignments, something that often bogged down his classmates. Ronald was able to read the material and retain the information in a way that impressed his fellow classmates. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served Ronald well during his college experience. He earned his diploma in Retailing at Ryerson in Toronto.

      Always considered to be a solid friend, Ronald was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during his life. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, Ronald was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for Ronald to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought him out for advice because he had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. While growing up, some of his best friends were cousins Fred Kent and Bob Brown. Later in life, he became friends with Harold & Edith Kent, Harold & Elsie Stevens, Harold & Pam Cooper, Bill & Jane Allan and many more.

      On June 29, 1959 Ronald exchanged wedding vows with Margaret Dora Priddle at the St Luke's Cathedral of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Compassionate and devoted to Marg, Ronald held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Marg and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy.

      Ronald brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Ronald was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. Ronald was blessed with four children, Sons David and Ian, Daughters Colleen and Amy. They were also blessed with four grandchildren, Jason & Ryan Kent, Graham & Elyse Sullivan.

      Ronald greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Ronald enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Ronald was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. His primary occupation was a merchant. He was employed for and later owned Kentvale Merchants Ltd. Ronald worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

      Ronald liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Ronald always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were snowmobiling, gardening, and spending time at the family camp on Sailor's Encampment. Ronald was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

      Ronald found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, he could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. He applauded those who won, and he enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find himself wrapped up in those details. He would watch his favorite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were hockey and hockey.

      Many organizations were grateful to have Ronald as a member, since he always brought with him a “stick to it” attitude and a high degree of common sense. Using straightforward methods to successfully complete the job, Ronald was a great planner who was incredibly well organized. It seemed that he was able to schedule any event or activity with ease. He always seemed to know exactly what needed to be done. In high school, Ronald was a member of the art club. Throughout his later years, Ronald volunteered every year at Richards Landing Community Night raising money for the local hospital.

      As a man who always showed great commitment to the things he believed in, it’s little wonder that Ronald was so active in his community. Being practical and mentally disciplined, Ronald preferred to base his decisions on first-hand experiences. Ronald was never afraid to roll up his sleeves and dig right in. Politically, Ronald was a Conservative.

      Ronald was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. He was a member of Holy Trinity Anglican church, Jocelyn. During that time, he was a sidesman, the peoples warden, and volunteer at Jocelyn cemetery. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.

      Ronald enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since he was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with Ronald appeared effortless. He enjoyed researching all of his examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where he traveled, Ronald always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included family trips to Florida, many motorhome trips throughout North America, bus trips including New York City and England and cruises including the Caribbean and Alaska.

      Ronald was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of Ronald’s favorites was Springer Spaniel Katie. They were best friends for 15 years. His family was rounded out by his many many cats, including Patty, Spunky, Streaker, Frisky, Momma Kitty, Alex, Buster and Sasha, Springer Mollie and many grand dogs and great grand dogs.

      When Ronald’s retirement finally arrived in later years, he was well prepared. He always trusted and placed value in what was logical and in the things he knew, so he was very confident in planning his retirement. He had begun the process early and had his retirement all laid out well in advance. In retirement, he found new pleasure in longer and more frequent motorhome excursions, and long hours mowing Jocelyn cemetery, but never completely retired, and still came over to the store most days. Even in retirement, Ronald continued to stay in touch with his old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. He was active in his new community and felt fulfilled.

      Ronald Martin Kent passed away on September 19, 2021 at Sault Area Hospital. Ron had a short battle with rhabdomolsis. He is survived by his children David, Colleen, Amy & Ian, Grandchildren Jason, Ryan, Graham & Elyse, Great grandchildren Griffin, Ellis and Everrett and special friend Rosalie Goos. Services were held at the Royal Canadian Legion. Ronald was laid to rest in Holy Trinity Anglican church Jocelyn cemetery.

      Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Ronald Martin Kent. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.

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KENT, Ronald Martin - Passed away peacefully with family holding his hand at the Sault Area Hospital on Sunday, September 19th, 2021 at the age of 85. Ron was born December 13, 1935 in Richards Landing, ON. Cherished husband of the late Margaret for 52 years. Beloved father of David (Carol), Colleen Henderson (Mark), Amy Sullivan (Greg) and Ian (Melissa). Predeceased by daughter in law Kimberley. Proud grandfather of Jason (Meaghan), Ryan (Leah), Graham (Reilly) and Elyse. Old Papa to great grandsons Griffin, Ellis and Everett. Special friend of Rosalie Goos. Son of the late Clarence and Viola Kent and son in law of the late Bert and Ina Priddle. Caring brother of Carol Hunter (late Dean) and the late Judith. Brother in law of George Priddle (Anita) and John Priddle (late Diana). Also survived by many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Ron was a respected member of the community and best known as owner of Kentvale Merchants for many years. He was a life long member and caretaker of Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Jocelyn. Friends are invited to visit at the Royal Canadian Legion, Richards Landing on Wednesday, September 22, 2021 from 5-8 pm and on Thursday from 12 pm until time of service at the legion at 2 pm. Rev. Rosalie Goos and Rev. Susan Montague Koyle officiating. Interment Holy Trinity Cemetery, Jocelyn following the service.

Memorial contributions to the Holy Trinity Anglican Church or to Matthews Memorial Hospital Association would be appreciated. Covid restrictions require social distancing and masking and a capacity of 130 will be allowed for the service at 2 pm.

Arrangements entrusted to Arthur Funeral Home - Barton & Kiteley Chapel (492 Wellington St. E. - 705-759-2522). Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.arthurfuneralhome.com for the Kent family.