Mark Kent, 62, of Oskaloosa, passed away Monday, September 18, 2023, at the Mahaska Health Hospice Serenity House in Oskaloosa. Mark H. Kent, son of Harold and Jean Rose (Olive) Kent, was born on April 21, 1961, in Caribou, Maine. Mark’s father’s career in the U.S. Air Force moved the family to Kansas, Maine, and New Mexico. He graduated from High School in 1979 from Alamogordo, New Mexico, and then joined the U.S. Navy. His military career brought Mark to many locations, including Texas, California, Germany, Virginia, and Hawaii.
While in the Navy, he served as a radioman and retired after 20 years in June 1999 at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. After he retired from the U.S. Navy, Mark began working at Walmart in Washington in 2000. He advanced quickly and moved to Oskaloosa in 2005 for a co-manager position at the Ottumwa store and later transferred to the Oskaloosa Walmart. He enjoyed his career with Walmart from 2005 to 2014. In 2015, Mark left Walmart and found a way to spend even more time on the golf course by becoming a groundskeeper at Edmundson Golf Course and later Oskaloosa Golf Course until his health did not allow.
Marked loved his small community of Oskaloosa, its friendliness, and all the friends he’s made at Walmart and the golf courses. Mark enjoyed coaching slow-pitch softball teams in the Navy, watching the Dallas Cowboys, watching a good movie, and spending time fishing.
Mark will be missed by several Navy and golf buddies, and Emma and Maggie Baumgardner, who have a lifetime of memories of being loved and supported by “Uncle Mark.
As was Mark’s wish, his body has been cremated, and services will be held at a later date.
