Kerwin L. Kent, 86, of Pender, NE, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, at St. Joseph’s Hillside Villa in West Point, NE. The visitation for Kerwin will be at 10 a.m. with a service to follow at 11 a.m. on Monday, April 8, 2024, at Christ United Church of Pender. Burial will be in the Covenant Church Cemetery south of Pender. A lunch will be served at the church following burial. Arrangements are under the direction of Munderloh-Smith Funeral Home in Pender.
Kerwin was born June 8, 1937, in Clearwater, NE, the son of Lloyd and Mildred (Todd) West. After living in Galveston, TX, the family moved back to Clearwater when he was 7. He attended a rural school and graduated from Neligh High School in 1955. He worked on a farm near Meadow Grove, NE, for 2 years before attending college in Omaha for 1 year. In 1958, he met Geraldine (Gerry) Schultz in Omaha, and they were married August 22, 1959, in Meno, Oklahoma. In 1960, Kerwin joined the United States Army Reserve and spent 6 months at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. Their children Brian and Viann were both born in Omaha. Kerwin ran a Standard Oil station in Omaha until he was given the opportunity to open a new John Deere dealership, Pender Implement, in Pender NE. It was originally located in the old opera building at 4th and Main Street. In 1974, the business moved to its current location near the south edge of town. He operated the business until retiring in 1998. Kerwin and Geraldine spent winters in Mercedes, TX until 2022. Of course, he spent many summers back at Pender Implement fixing lawn mowers.
Kerwin accepted the Lord as his Savior when he was 12 years of age. He belonged to the Evangelical Covenant Church and served as a board member for many years. He also enjoyed being a greeter at the front door. From 1979 to 1982, he served on the Village Board, two years as chairman. Kerwin enjoyed his family, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren and made sure to spend time with them. He liked to fish, camp, and play shuffleboard, table tennis, and card games. Keeping his cars spotless and shiny was an obsession. You didn’t ask him to drive somewhere if it was raining. He was the favorite uncle of many, often teasing his nieces and nephews.
Kerwin is survived by his wife, Geraldine Kent of Pender; son Brian (Michele) Kent of Pender and daughter Viann (Dr. Michael) Martin of Lincoln; grandchildren Daniel Kent of Lincoln, Dylan (Noah) Huber of Pender, Erin (Duston) Stanczyk of Port Charlotte, FL and their children Max and Olivia, and Benjamin M Martin of Lincoln and his son Izayah; sister Wanda Rasmussen of Tahlequah, OK, and brother Denton (Dianne) Kent of Bentonville, AR; siblings-in-law Tony Svehla of Tahlequah, OK, Rocky and Shirley Schultz of Greeley, CO, Vi Friesen of Omaha, and Evelyn Schultz of Prague, OK; and many nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his parents Lloyd West and Mildred Harriman, father and mother-in-law John and Ruth Schultz, sister Rosemary Svehla, and brothers-in-law Ivan Schultz, Al Rasmussen, and Al Friesen.
He will also be missed by his many friends at the Llano Grande Park in Mercedes, TX.
