Kent Frederic Almgren

Kent was born on March 17 1940 in Santa Ana California. He was the son of Ralph Robert Almgren and Selma Viola (Moe) Almgren. Kent had two sisters Mary Anna and Barbara and one brother, Roland.

Kent the only native born Californian of the family went to school in Huntington Beach and graduated from Huntington Beach High School in 1958. Kent was involved in the band program at school where he played the Tuba. He and his friends had a Dixieland band. The family lived off of Beach Boulevard (it is a car dealership today) they had all sorts of animals, cats, dogs and chickens. As a teen in the summers when he wasn’t working in one of the Snack shacks on the beach he would be body surfing and fishing.

After graduating High School and finishing his AA degree from Orange Coast College Kent went into the Army where he served as an MP. While in the Army he got to go overseas to Thailand. When back in the States his unit was sent to escort James Meredith, the first African American to attend Ole Miss.

While in the Army one of the many places he was sent was Fort Hood in Texas. While in Texas he met a red head named Mary Ann Morris his future wife. Kent liked to tell the story that he married his Sunday school teacher. They were married June 6th 1964 in Temple Texas. They moved to California and had two sons Kristopher Thomas (1965) and Nils Frederic (1968). During this time 1964-1968 Kent was in the Army reserve, and he also started to work for Bekins Moving and Storage. He retired from Bekins in 1995.

Both Kent and Mary Ann were active in their children’s lives. Whether it was Little League or Cub Scouts they were there. Kent was Scout Master and Mary Ann a Den Mother of pack 567 while their children were in scouts. Kent would organize various event from campouts to Flag Ceremonies. One event was a Haunted house at the Fountain Valley Rec center. He had storage vaults delivered and each vault depicted a scary scene with cub scouts being the live actors.

Baking has always been a part of Kent’s life. Christmas was his favorite time of year. Cookies, candy, muffins and various breads Dad was always trying new recipes. The neighbors would always get a plate of goodies.

Both Kent and Mary Ann were active at Churches they attended. At the Methodist Church in Huntington Beach they both sang in the choir and were High School youth group leaders. Both would be ushers and greeters at churches they attended and would help different ministries when they would have services in the area. Later on they became Elders in their church. Serving God ministering and bringing others to Christ was just part of their lives.

Kent was wonderful Father and Husband. He is survived by his Sons Kris Almgren and Nils Almgren and their families.

A funeral service for Kent will be held Friday, March 15, 2024 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM at Westminster Memorial Park Mortuary, 14801 Beach Blvd, Westminster, CA 92683.