Stephen M. Kent, editor of the Catholic Northwest Progress from 2000-06, died peacefully at his home in Indio, California, Nov. 26 after a brief illness. He was 80.

His 51 years in journalism included stints with the Associated Press, daily newspapers around the country (including in Seattle, Olympia and Yakima) and some 16 years in the Catholic press, including the Progress (precursor to Northwest Catholic).

“Steve will be remembered by all who knew him as a loving husband, nurturing father, insightful journalist and all-around gentleman,” according to his obituary in The Desert Sun.

He was born to Edward M. and Elizabeth R. Kent in Baltimore. His father's career in the U.S. Coast Guard led the family to move from coast to coast and sometimes up and down the coasts. They came to Seattle when Kent was a teenager.

After graduating from Seattle Preparatory School, Kent attended Santa Clara University, where he discovered his love of journalism, serving as the assistant editor of the weekly student newspaper, The Santa Clara.

He started his professional career as a general assignment reporter for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, according to a March 16, 2000, Progress article announcing his appointment as the newspaper’s executive editor.

For two years before that appointment by Archbishop Alex J. Brunett, Kent served as pastoral assistant for administration at St. Paul, St. Edward and St. George parishes in southeast Seattle, and was a columnist for the Progress, according to the article. Kent and his wife Delores were members of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Burien at the time.

While editor of the Progress, Kent also wrote a weekly column on current events for Catholic News Service. After retiring from the Progress in 2006, he continued writing regular commentaries for the Progress, national publications and Catholic News Service.

Over the years, Kent won a number of awards from what is now the Catholic Media Association for stories that he shaped as an editor, as well as for work that he wrote.

Kent’s career led him to cover big stories, such as D.B. Cooper’s hijacking of Seattle-bound airplane in 1971 (he parachuted out of the plane with a bag full of stolen cash and was never seen again) and Vice President Spiro Agnew's resignation on Oct. 10, 1973.

When a midlife career shift saw Kent move from secular to Catholic publishing as editor of The Catholic Voice (newspaper of the Archdiocese of Omaha, Nebraska) he wanted to understand his Catholic faith better, so he went back to school and earned a master's degree in Christian spirituality from Jesuit-run Creighton University in Omaha. He was editor of the Catholic Voice from 1987 to 1997.

As a Catholic journalist, Kent traveled to Haiti, Guatemala, Mexico and Jordan, among other places, to report on those in need — particularly children — in these regions. He also traveled to Rome and met St. John Paul II.

Steve Kent (Courtesy Kent family)

After his retirement, Kent focused on his golf game, the Seattle Mariners and the Seattle Seahawks.

"What he took particular joy in ... was playing family patriarch to his three children Christopher (Rachel), Erin (John), and Nicholas (Erin) and his five adored grandchildren, Owen, Brendan, Molly, Alice and Violet," the AP newsletter said.

His love of planes and flying prompted him to serve as docent-guide at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.

Post-retirement travel saw him and Dolores visiting China, England, Greece and France. Later in retirement the couple moved to California.

At the time of his death, Kent and his wife had been married for 56 years. They met because Kent's best friend happened to be Dolores’ college chemistry teaching assistant. After a first date in October 1965, they got engaged the following year on Valentine’s Day and married that August.

One of the last things Kent wrote was an appreciation of The Catholic Voice when the newspaper announced that after 118 years it was going digital and its last printed issue would be Nov. 19, 2021.

“As the printed product evolved during my 10 years, The Catholic Voice worked to inform, inspire and influence, and to be a major force in the archdiocese,” Kent said. “Despite the changes of both yesterday and today, the Gospel message remains unchanged and The Catholic Voice will remain unchanged in its mission to assist its readers in their faith journey,” he added.

A memorial service for Kent will be held Jan. 28 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Middletown, Delaware, which he also considered home.