Stephen Kent

On February 19, 2025, Stephen W. Kent, 82, of Clive, Iowa, passed away after a valiant five-year battle with Parkinson’s disease. Steve is survived by his wife, Carol, son Jim (Lisa) Kent of West Branch, IA, and daughters Chris (Bob) Bailey of Johnston, IA, and Cathy (Pat) Weis, of Davenport, IA, and seven grandchildren, Andrew (Sydni), Isabel, Caroline, Daniel, Allison, Alex, and Zach. He is also survived by two sisters, Mary (Bob) Fanter, Jane (Ron) Weakley, and his brother, Jim Kent. He was preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Joyce Kent.

Steve was born in Des Moines, IA, on October 19, 1942. He graduated from Dowling High School and then went on to attend the University of Iowa, where he graduated in 1965. On January 30, 1965, Steve married Carol and they recently celebrated 60 years of marriage. After graduation, Steve began a very successful career in insurance starting with Aetna, where he worked until 1977. While at Aetna, he was transferred to Denver, CO, and then Hartford, Connecticut. In 1977, he left Aetna and moved back to Des Moines where he joined the insurance agency Anton, Hammond and Dunn. After several years there, the agency was bought by Kirke-Van Orsdel Inc. While at KVI, Steve ran the sales division and continued at Marsh McLennan.

Steve retired from Marsh & McLennan in 2002 and enjoyed spending summers at his home on Lake Vermilion in Tower, Minnesota, sharing his love for the outdoors with his grandchildren. If Steve wasn’t spending time at the lake, he could be found riding his bike on the many trails in central Iowa or doing volunteer work for Habitat for Humanity and Hope Lodge.

A visitation will be held at Caldwell Parrish funeral home on Thursday, February 27th, from 4-6pm. The funeral mass will be held at St. Augustin’s Catholic Church on Friday, February 28th at 10am. Following mass, there will be a burial at Glendale Cemetery followed by a luncheon at St. Augustin’s at noon.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the American Parkinson’s Disease Association (Des Moines, IA Chapter), Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity, or Hospice of the Midwest.

The family would like to give a special thank you to the staff at the Walnut Ridge Long Term Care Facility and Hospice of the Midwest for the compassionate care provided to him.