Kentfield Jr. was born Aug. 22, 1923, and joined his wife, Elva and son, Ron, Tuesday morning, Aug. 11, 2015, in a place where they will enjoy eternal life together.

Ed is survived by: son, Tim; granddaughters, Briana, Jessica, Korrine and Katie; grandson, Erik; the coffee klatch and Honor Flight members from Spangles; and many dear friends and acquaintances. He will be missed by all. Ed was a product of his times. Born into a farming/ranching family in southern Nebraska that broke apart while he was in his early teens due to the stress caused by the Great Depression, he was cast out on his own to ride the rails and fend for himself. With nowhere to really call home and having just a sixth-grade education, Ed joined the Navy at the ripe old age of 17. Surviving the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and several other conflicts, he served his country and called the Navy his home for 20 years, retiring as a Chief Petty Officer in 1960. From there he moved his family from California to southern Oregon.

With beginnings as a school bus driver to the end of his stay where he served as City Judge, Recorder and head of the police department, the wanderlust ingrained in him by his time in the Navy grabbed ahold again. Wanting to serve his country in any capacity possible during the Viet Nam War, he left the cozy confines of civilian life in Oregon and joined the American Red Cross. After a year of service on the front lines in Viet Nam, he was stationed in Northern Italy for two years, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and several North American assignments during a 13-year tenure with the Red Cross. Combining his Navy and Red Cross service, Ed proudly served his country for a total of 33 years. We thank him for his service and the freedoms we enjoy as a result of that service.

While in training for the Navy, Ed, strolling the streets of Hutchinson, caught sight of a woman and her friend, telling his buddies, "I'm going to marry that woman!" Sure enough, six weeks later he married Elva Schmidt. After 60-plus years of marriage and world travel, Elva insisted they settle down close to her hometown of Buhler, after having moved around the country and the world to over 20 locations. He agreed, bringing them to their final stop in Hutchinson. She preceded him in death a little over a year ago. The hole left in his life after 68 years of marriage was evident to anyone who spent time with Ed. That hole is there no longer. They are together now. We will miss them terribly, but are left with memories of the fabulous life and times of a true American hero. We ask that you celebrate his life rather than mourn his passing. He would prefer it that way.

A military honors memorial service will be conducted by the Navy Honors Guard and held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015, at the site of the future Reno County Veterans' Memorial, 200 Des Moines West, South Hutchinson. His register book will be available until service time at Elliott Mortuary, Hutchinson. Memorial gifts may be made to the Reno County Veterans' Memorial, in care of Elliott Mortuary, 1219 N. Main, Hutchinson, KS 67501.