John W. Kent

SELKIRK, N.Y. – John William Kent died peacefully at home on Aug. 20, 2024, following a long illness.

He was born in Portland on Nov. 19, 1959, the son of Stanley Webber Kent and Constance Barker Kent. John grew up in Falmouth where he attended local schools, as well as Governor Dummer Academy, graduating in 1977. He obtained a B.S. in meteorology from Lyndon State College in 1981.

John started his career at FleetWeather in New York in 1984. In 2000, he joined the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. He performed air quality monitoring studies and participated in other meteorology. In 2016, John was promoted to the Chief of the Impact Assessment and Meteorology Section, continuing until his retirement in 2022.

John was a lifelong, infectiously enthusiastic birder, active in the local birding community as well as travelling worldwide with birding as a central theme. John was on the Board of Directors of the New York State Ornithological Association and the Hudson-Mohawk Bird Club. He led many field trips, gave workshops about birds, weather, and Cornell’s eBird.

John was an ardent audiophile, following many artists and genres. He was an amateur radio operator for 35 years, well known for his Morse code proficiency, and made contact with over 250 countries. John was also a foodie, sampling widely among cuisines and cooking many himself.

John was predeceased by his parents, Stanley and Constance; as well as by his sister, Susan Winslow.

He is survived by his brother, Thomas and his wife Susan, and their family; and by his sister, Susan’s family, husband Raimond Winslow and their family.

There are no visiting hours scheduled. A remembrance will be held at a later date. For further information and online condolences, please visit: SimpleChoicesCremation.com

Contributions on John’s behalf may be made to the

Mohawk Hudson

Land Conservancy;

Friends of Five Rivers;

or the Cornell Lab of

Ornithology.