Mr Edgar Robert Kent Jr

On December 16, 2023, Edgar Robert (“Bob”) Kent. Jr. passed away peacefully at Blakehurst outside Baltimore, Maryland from the side effects of Parkinson’s disease. Bob was born in Baltimore on May 28, 1941, to E. Robert Kent, Sr., and Marian (Mueller) Kent. His father co-founded The Poole & Kent Corporation, a commercial mechanical contracting firm, while his mother was a homemaker. His childhood was spent in Sherwood Forest, outside of Annapolis, Maryland alongside his brother, Roy, and sister, Susie. Bob spent much of his time in and around the Severn River and the Chesapeake Bay. He was active in the Boy Scouts troop out of Annapolis and earned the rank of Eagle Scout. After graduating from Severn School in nearby Severna Park, Maryland, he attended Princeton University where he was a member of Tiger Inn and earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in 1963. Bob received his MBA from Columbia University in 1966. At Princeton, he was an accomplished attackman on the lacrosse team, earning Honorable Mention All-American and First Team All-Ivy honors his senior year. He is still listed among Princeton’s career assist leaders, despite playing in the era of the wooden stick, and once recorded seven assists in a single game. After graduation, he continued to play lacrosse with the New York Lacrosse Club and later the Mount Washington Lacrosse Club. He married Josephine Townsend Daniel from Richmond, Virginia in October 1966. After a brief stay in New York City, Bob and Townsend moved to Baltimore, Maryland where they enjoyed 57 years of marriage and raised their children. In 1968, Bob joined Alex. Brown & Sons, a revered investment bank headquartered in Baltimore. For the next 30 years, he remained with the firm, working primarily with real estate companies, through its acquisition by Bankers Trust before retiring in 1999. While working full-time at Alex. Brown, he earned his CFA charter in 1974 and his JD from the University of Maryland, Baltimore in 1975. As a young banker, he was appointed to the Board of Alex. Brown’s newly established subsidiary, Alex. Brown Realty, which made direct investments in real estate properties. He served as a director for forty-three years until stepping off the board in 2018. He kept an office at Alex. Brown Realty, now known as ABR Capital Partners, in his retirement and continued to regularly commute downtown. Baltimore was very important to Bob. The city provided a wonderful place for him and Townsend to raise their family and the backdrop for a long and rewarding career in finance and investments. He believed firmly in giving back and was highly active in the Baltimore community. He served at various times as the Chairman of the Board of the Baltimore Community Foundation, Calvert School, and Roland Park Country School and as President of Baltimore Center Stage. Additionally, he served on the Advisory Council at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and on the investment committees of Church of the Redeemer, the University of Maryland Medical School, and the Maryland SPCA. Along with Townsend, he established the Kent Family Foundation in 1994 to support charitable causes in Baltimore focused on education, youth sports, music, the arts, community services, healthcare, local heritage sites and the environment. They also endowed the Dr. Donald S. Daniel / Louise D. Kent Scholarship fund at John Hopkins School of Nursing in memory of Townsend’s father, Dr. Daniel, and their daughter, Louise, who was so well cared for by the Hopkins nurses before she died in 1985. Many other charitable organizations across the city benefited from Bob’s leadership and generosity. In his free time, Bob was a constant presence on the tennis, paddle tennis and squash courts at the L’Hirondelle Club, the Elkridge Club, and the Maryland Club. He was very attached to his alma mater and regularly attended Princeton Reunions and events until he was no longer able to travel. His son, Bob, also attended Princeton and played lacrosse. He could regularly be found watching lacrosse games, especially those involving Princeton, Maryland, and Johns Hopkins. He was a fan of the Orioles, Colts, Ravens, and University of Maryland basketball. For several years, he was a proud beekeeper. As his children grew older, he and Townsend moved from the Roland Park area of Baltimore to the Orchards neighborhood, where they lived close to his daughter, Jody. He loved watching his four grandchildren grow up and regularly attended their various school events and athletic endeavors. Later in life, Bob and Townsend moved to Blakehurst where he died peacefully on December 16, 2023, surrounded by family. Bob was the beloved husband of Townsend (Daniel) Kent; dear father of Edgar Robert Kent III (Kris) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Josephine Kent Lemken (Jim) of Baltimore, Maryland; loving grandfather of Edgar Robert Kent IV, Louise Townsend Lemken, James Kent Lemken, and William Winthrop Lemken; and devoted brother of Susan Kent DiLonardo (Ron) of Sherwood Forest, Maryland. Bob was predeceased by his brother, Roy Norman Kent, and a daughter, Louise Daniel Kent. His remains were placed next to his daughter, Louise, in a columbarium at the Church of the Redeemer. Bob’s death was reported in The Baltimore Sun newspaper on January 8, 2024 and can be found at this link: https://www.baltimoresun.com/2024/01/08/edgar-robert-bob-kent-jr-investment-banker-and-philanthropist-dies/?share=vbnt00dwwsoh8wtpbht0

Mr Edgar Robert Kent Jr

May 28, 1941 - December 16, 2023