Kent A. Taylor

Kent Taylor, 76, a longtime resident of Gardner, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, following a two-year courageous battle with brain cancer. During and after his treatment regimen for glioblastoma, Kent maintained his routine of 20 daily pushups, long walks around Dunn’s Pond, and a healthy diet.

Born in Gardner and raised in South Ashburnham, Kent joined the US Air Force after graduating from Oakmont Regional High School. His tour of duty extended from 1966 to 1970 and included deployments to Panama and Japan. During his time in the Air Force, he continued his education through courses with the University of Florida and the University of California. On returning to civilian life, he began working for Digital Corporation in Westminster. He remained at Digital (subsequently Compaq Corporation) until he retired in 2002. In post-retirement, he worked for several years as a custodian at the Templeton Elementary School in Baldwinville. Although he had no children of his own, he enjoyed being around the students and being able to help the teachers by keeping the school clean and orderly.

Kent was a private and independent person of few words, but under that quiet exterior was a dry, somewhat devilish, sense of humor. He took unusual care in selecting wittingly funny birthday cards for his family and had the skill for posting them to arrive on the special day. 

Kent spent many years restoring a classic 1950 Studebaker, enjoyed spending time with his friends at the Legion, and was an avid reader. He and his brother-in-law, Tony, had a long-term book swap tradition since they both seemed to have insatiable appetites for war books.

Kent was a devout parishioner of Holy Spirit Church and more recently Holy Rosary Church as the two churches merged to become Annunciation Parish in Gardner. He was also a member of the Turnpike Rod and Gun Club in Ashburnham and the Ashburnham American Legion, where he enjoyed spending time with his friends.

Kent is predeceased by his parents Aldora (Dolly) and Wilfred Taylor, his half-brother, W. Irving Taylor, and three half-sisters: Claire Adams, Rachel Urban, and Winifred (Buddie) Zaleska.

Kent is survived by his sister Carole Sokolowski and his brother-in-law Anthony Sokolowski of Merrimac, Massachusetts; his nephew Peter Sokolowski of Easthampton, Massachusetts; his nephew Christopher Sokolowski and his niece-in-law Angela Chang of Cambridge, Massachusetts; and his grand-nieces Nina Chang Sokolowski and Elsa Chang Sokolowski of Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is also survived by his nephew Gary and wife Pauline Zaleska of Lake Wales, Florida, their daughters, Amy Crossin and family of Grafton, Massachusetts and Rebecca Levy and husband of Tantallon, Nova Scotia; by his nephew David and wife Carol Taylor of Carver, Massachusetts; and by several cousins and their families.

 Kent is also survived by his cherished friend, Miran Kim, whose phone calls and visits provided him with the daily contact that was so needed especially during these past two years. Miran provided Kent with delicious portion-sized meals, taught him the Korean alphabet, and under the guise of learning more English herself, gave him purpose and diversion all through his illness. Her caring friendship and periodic reports of his condition were particularly appreciated by his family, who live at least an hour away from Gardner.

Kent’s family wishes to thank everyone involved with Kent’s care at UMass Memorial Medical Center, especially Dr. Cachia and his team in the Cancer Center and Dr. Robertson and the nurses in the Emergency Department. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the UMass Memorial Health, Office of Philanthropy, 365 Plantation Street, One Biotech-Suite 301, Worcester, MA 01605, or on their website at (www.donate.umassmemorial.org). Please reference in memory of Kent Taylor. 

Calling Hours will be held Saturday, February 15, 2025, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Boucher Funeral Home, Inc., 110 Nichols Street, Gardner, MA. Funeral Services will follow from the funeral home, with a Mass at 12:00 p.m. in Annunciation Parish at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church, 135 Nichols Street, Gardner, MA. Burial at St. Denis Cemetery, Kelton Road, Ashburnham, MA, will be held in the spring at the convenience of the family.