Joan Edith Kent

Joan Edith Rance Kent was best known by her initials, the initials that now adorn the drama theater at Cibola High School.  Born and raised in the city of Chicago during the Great Depression, her early life had twin tragedies with losing her sister and having polio that resulted in the loss of use of an arm.  Attending camps for kids affected by polio she came to enjoy swimming in cool lake waters and leading other young adults at camp.  This was perhaps the beginning of her interest in drama.  Joan attended several colleges including University of Montana and Layola.  She graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in English and Chemistry. 

Out of College she fell into the music and club scene in Chicago where she met her husband Harold George Kummerow.  Soon married, Hal changed his last name to Kent to make it easier for his clients to spell.  Hal’s work took him to many mid-western cities.  Not being tied to a single location, Hal found the city of Albuquerque as a promising home for his growing family.  Leaving Park Ridge, Illinois Hal and Joan left their families behind to find fame and fortune.  Both came slowly until Joan attended University of New Mexico to obtain her Master’s in Education.   This started her career as a Drama and English teacher at West Mesa High School.  Directing theater at the high school level became her focus in life. Joan gained additional drama experience by participating in the Corrales little theater.

Her directing career touched people young and old.  Many former students now in mid-life remember how Mrs. Kent changed their lives for the better.  Her students and plays won acclaim and awards from drama presentations to the local community and internationally in Canada.  Many of her students continued on to acting careers and most, if not all, have stories about the plays they were in, the friendships built, and the experiences they had in drama, set building, and lighting.  In retirement, Joan traveled to places near and far including England, Australia, Spain, Italy, and New Zealand.  In America, her travels often took her to Alaska and Hawaii to visit daughter, son, and grandchildren.  Her final years were blessed with wonderful neighbors and visits by past students and friends.  Most notable were the celebrations of her 80th and 90th birthdays. Friends and neighbors came to wish her well.  Joan Kent (aka JERK) passed out of this world and into the universal stage a few days after her 93rd birthday where she will be the director in the heavenly play. Her first directing experience is sure to be a hit.  She is survived by her half-sisters, Bonnie Jo Walno of Colorado and Debby Hughs of New York, daughter Connie Friedrichs (husband Ed), sons Chris Kent (wife Lynn), Chad Kent (wife Susan), and adult grandchildren KC, Carson, Adam and Malissa, and great grandchildren.