Kent Leslie King

Kent King, 78, of Tucson, AZ passed away on January 3, 2019 from lung cancer complications with his family by his side. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Gail, daughter Deborah (Scott Dawkins), son Mike (Becky), and grandchildren, Brian Dawkins, Kevin Dawkins, Shelby King, and Kristina Koenig.

Kent was born in Salina, Kansas, but moved to Tucson at a very young age with his parents. He started out by working with his father, Les King, in King’s Garage in Tucson. They went on to establish King’s Garage in Escondido, CA and King Balancing in Phoenix before returning to Tucson. Les and Kent then purchased New Way Auto Parts in 1962. When New Way was purchased, it was a tow yard, body shop, and salvage yard. Kent decided to focus on the salvage yard, closing the tow yard and body shop. Kent loved working at New Way, and worked there with his son, Mike, until his death.

Kent was a sports enthusiast and loved spending time with his family and friends. He was also known for his extraordinary homemade ice cream that was treasured by his grandchildren. He enjoyed spending time in Las Vegas, taking friends and family on memorable weekend trips. Kent dearly loved his wife, Gail, and showed his love through acts of kindness, big and small. He was known to be extremely generous and lived life to the fullest. At the end of his life, Kent expressed his love and gratitude, saying that he could not have scripted a better life.

A visitation will be held at the East Lawn Palms Mortuary in Tucson, AZ on Thursday, January 10th from 6:00pm-8:00pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Casa De Los Niños, Tucson Summer Music, or the charity of your choice in Kent King’s name