Date of Death: August 16, 2026
Service Details
The family will receive friends Saturday, August 22, 2026, beginning at 10:00 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Newberg, 13021 Born St., Jones. A funeral service celebrating Mary’s life will follow at 12:30 p.m. at the church, with Verl Taylor officiating. She will be laid to rest in Poe’s Cemetery. A luncheon for all will follow the gravesite service.
Obituary Notice
Mary Kent, 77, of Portage, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Sunday, August 16, 2026, surrounded by the family she loved so deeply.
Mary was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, beautician, musician, and friend. Those titles only begin to describe the beautiful life she lived. She was a woman of tremendous faith who loved God wholeheartedly and shared that love through the way she welcomed people, served others, and cared for everyone around her. While her family’s hearts are heavy with her passing, they find great comfort knowing that Mary is now in the presence of her Savior, completely healed and celebrating in her new heavenly body; singing, dancing, and rejoicing.
Mary was born November 11, 1948, in South Bend, Ind., the daughter of Harold and Barbara (Ulbricht) Schultz. She moved with her family to Jones in the 1950s and graduated from Three Rivers High School with the Class of 1966.
It was during middle school years that Mary met the love of her life, Max Kent. What began as a young romance became a beautiful lifelong love story. Mary and Max were married on April 12, 1969, in Jones, beginning 57 years of marriage filled with love, laughter, family, adventures, and countless memories.
Mary attended cosmetology school in Kalamazoo and began working alongside her mother in their family beauty shop. Although she enjoyed a variety of jobs throughout her life, being a beautician was always a special part of who she was. She had a gift for making people feel beautiful, cared for, welcomed and she carried that gift far beyond the beauty shop.
Family was always the center of Mary’s world. She and Max purchased her childhood home and raised their children there, creating a place filled with love, laughter, good food, music, and memories. Mary took enormous pride in her home, using her talents for sewing, decorating, and crafting to make it beautiful and welcoming.
Mary’s greatest joy, however, was the people she loved. She treasured time spent playing games with family and friends, swimming, and spending winters in Florida. She also cherished special circles of friends who brought laughter and friendship into her life.
Music was woven into Mary’s heart from an early age. Growing up in a musical family, she loved nothing more than sharing music with others. She learned to play the piano as an adult. Mary was always involved in church musical groups, including leading a children’s choir and she directed church musical productions. Her faith and her love of music came together beautifully in the way she served her church and encouraged others. During her time in Florida, Mary became the female lead singer of the band Country 44, bringing her joy, energy, and unmistakable personality to every performance.
Mary had a heart of gold. She was deeply hospitable, in all circumstances, she was generous with her time, and quick to make others feel at home. She had a remarkable ability to love people exactly where they were. Just as Jesus would, she loved the unlovable, forgave freely, and loved without end. She never seemed to run out of room in her heart for another person, another story, another meal at her table, or another song to sing.
Above all, Mary was a woman of faith. She trusted God, loved her Savior, and lived her faith through the way she loved her family and everyone she encountered. Her family knows that this goodbye is not forever. They can find peace knowing she is in Heaven- healed, laughing, singing, and dancing with joy in the presence of the God she loved so dearly.
Mary leaves behind a beautiful legacy of love that will continue through the people she poured herself into. She will be deeply missed by her husband, Max Kent; daughters, Marti (Al Summerer) Lindstrom and Megan Secondi; son, Justin (Ashley) Kent; grandchildren, Trammell Lindstrom, Darby (Braden) Falk, Sawyer Lindstrom, Max Secondi, Bexley Secondi, Noah Kent, and Jace LaLonde; brother, Michael Schultz; and sister, Peggy (Jeff) Zimont, along with countless friends and loved ones whose lives were made brighter because Mary was in them.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Harold and Barbara Schultz.
Additional Information
In lieu of flowers, donations in Mary’s memory may be directed to Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation or Centrica Care Navigators. Envelopes will be available at the church and at Hohner Funeral Home.
Please Leave Your Condolences
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The words written here about Mary are true in every sense. There’s nothing I can add. I feel privileged to have been her friend. Max, Marti, Megan and family, you are in my thought and prayers. She was one of a kind. She saw the good in everyone. She was genuine. We all will miss her but will meet again. Love you all.
My condolences to the family. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you.
I met Mary during our winters in Florida. She was a Beautiful soul. Jesus gained another beautiful angel. God Bless Max and her Family at this difficult time.
Mary, you will dearly missed by all who knew you both here & in Florida. You were the kindest & sweetest person I knew & we had some good conversations while floating in the pool at Southern Palms. I will miss you. Love to Max & family, may you fine comfort & peace.
Mary was a wonderfully kind and loving servant. I always enjoyed our conversations while we watched Max’s ball games together.
I met Mary in 2019 in Florida, and from the very beginning, her kindness and warmth were impossible to miss. She had a beautiful way of making people feel loved, accepted, and encouraged simply by being herself.
I will always remember how she encouraged me when I nervously sang at the Jam Session, and later when I sang with her and Larry in our little church. Her support meant more to me than she probably ever realized. She had a gift for believing in people and giving them the courage to believe in themselves.
Mary also taught me to play Mahjong, and I was so honored to become part of the special group that gathered in her fifth wheel on Wednesday mornings to play. Those mornings became precious memories—filled with laughter, friendship, and the simple joy of being together. I will treasure those moments for the rest of my life.
But more than anything, Mary was my closest Christian friend in Florida. When I was struggling with extended family matters and needed wisdom, prayer, and someone I could trust, Mary was there. She listened with compassion, spoke with wisdom, and always pointed me back to faith. She was the kind of friend who didn’t just walk beside you—she helped carry you when the road became difficult.
And then there was dancing. I loved dancing alongside Mary. There was such joy in those moments, and I will forever be grateful that I had the privilege of sharing them with her. My heart aches knowing that I won’t dance beside her here on earth again, but I hold tightly to the promise that one day, we will dance together again in Heaven.
My heart is broken. There will never be another Mary. She was one of a kind—beautiful in spirit, generous in love, strong in faith, and so very precious to me. I feel as though I have lost a sister.
But I do not say goodbye.
Because I know, without a doubt, that this is not the end. My faith tells me that one day I will see my dear friend again. And when that day comes, I imagine we will laugh, embrace, and dance together once more—without sorrow, without pain, and without ever having to say goodbye again.
Until then, Mary, I will carry you in my heart. I will cherish every memory, every laugh, every Wednesday morning, every song, every dance, and every word of wisdom you shared with me.
Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for being my sister in Christ. Thank you for loving me so well.
I miss you more than words can say.
Until we meet again in Heaven, dear Mary.
With all my love,
Becky Smart