Kent L. Towers

Kent Towers passed away peacefully, in his home, on March 27, 2011, surrounded by friends and family after a long, incredibly well-spirited fight with cancer.

Kent was born December 15, 1944, in Sacramento, California, the only child of two wonderful parents, Lillie Mae and William Everett Towers, whom he loved with all his heart. He grew up and attended public schools in Sacramento where he made many of his lifelong friends. He was always an entrepreneur at heart, and began early as both a paper boy and a raiser of rabbits. Kent graduated from Encina High School in 1962, as a self-described, “Freshman fat nerd, not really a nerd, not smart enough to be a nerd, more like a ???.”

After high school Kent worked in the auto parts industry, to support his love of cars, motorcycles and racing. In 1966 was drafted into the Army. Kent was blessed by serving most of his active duty years stationed in Germany, and he told many stories of his wonderful time there. Kent returned from the service to continue his education and earn his Bachelors of Science Degree, in geography and environmental sciences, from Sacramento State College at that time.

After meeting in college and a whirlwind romance, Kent married Joyce in Sacramento, Ca. and soon after had their first child, Derek. After a short stint with the county of Sacramento, Kent continued his entrepreneurial pursuits, as an architect/contractor of his own business. Shortly after the birth of their second child, Kristen, Kent and Joyce left behind their 9 - 5 careers and moved the family onto a 30 foot sailboat, named the Irenicon, meaning peace, in beautiful Morro Bay, Ca. From there Kent sailed with his family to Ventura, Ca through a career change into equipment rental and special events planning. He took great pride in his work, no matter how small the task. He worked in this industry for over 25 years, including owning and running his own company for several years. After his fight with cancer began in August of 2000, he made a final career change to work for the Transportation Security Administration during its infancy. He still found enough strength to return to school and begin the work toward his master’s degree in fine arts and photography.

Kent Towers was a man with a huge heart who welcomed people into his life with open arms. He was an easy man to be around, to hang out with and to talk to. He never claimed to be a perfect man but he was always willing to do the work to make things better. Kent looked at life as an adventure to be enjoyed and loved. He was always grateful for his family and friends and expressed his love unconditionally. Kent was a man whom had many loves in his life outside his family and friends. He was an avid photographer, a zealous sailor, a passionate gardener, a cross word enthusiast, a beautiful writer, a sports fanatic, a dive buddy, a fisherman, a backpacker, a world traveler, a fervent reader, and a patriotic man.

Kent is survived by his wife, Joyce Towers; son Derek Eason-Towers and daughter-in-law Tisha Eason-Towers, daughter Kristen Moore and son-in-law Randy Moore and grandchildren; Dakota and Leela; brother-in-law Bart Tucker and sister-in-law Heather Westcott, brother-in-law Robert Tucker and sister-in-law Carolyn McQuay, brother-in-law Ralph Tucker and sister-in-law Trudi Tucker, brother-in-law Rhett Tucker; dear friends Dennis and Sandi Yeast and numerous other friends and family.

A celebration of Kent's Life will be held at the Ted Mayr Funeral Home, 3150 Loma Vista Rd., Ventura, at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday, April 2, 2011. Everyone who knew or was touched by Kent’s life is invited to attend. Thank you to all who loved him.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations may be made to the Ventura County Rescue Mission, or the American Cancer Society.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Ted Mayr Funeral Home and Crematory. Condolences may be left at TedMayrFuneralHome.com.