The Life of Kent Buswell

On the first day of December in 1951, Barbara Marie Sterling Buswell and Ralph Hanson Buswell, Jr. welcomed their first child Kent Lawrence Buswell into this world in Keene, New Hampshire. No one could guess the adventures and challenges this new life would experience and meet head-on. As the oldest offspring, Kent would be the leader and example to his sister, Kathleen Marie Buswell Gelles, and brothers Todd Sterling and Kevin Mark Buswell. They grew up in rural Stone Ridge, New York where the Buswell expectation of doing your best and working hard with integrity began.

At the age of twenty-one, Kent Buswell made the decision to serve his country in the United States Army. The military began his travels across the world, especially Germany and Europe. It made him appreciate what his childhood taught him. After a few years and an injury, he was honorably discharged in 1978. This gave him the opportunity to explore the states riding on the back of his motorcycle. He would meet the woman who he would eventually marry during these journeys.

Following the personal tour of the nation he was proud of; Kent settled in Texas to supervise construction projects and complete his degree in psychology from the University of Houston. He reconnected with Debra Ruth Bohannon from his travels. They married in 1980 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They resided in Texas and brought their three children into this world: Joshua Peter Buswell, Suzette Ruth Wooden-Buswell, and Benjamin Heath Buswell. After being laid-off from his construction position, the family moved to Oklahoma. Kent Buswell used his veteran status to begin his postal career and provide for his family.

In Oklahoma, his rural beginnings would come back as Debra and Kent had a sheep farm, among other animals. Kent instilled the same work ethic into his children that he had been given. While working at the United States Post office and their farm, Kent Buswell was diagnosed with lymphoma in 1991 and given months to live. He had always been spiritual, but this cemented his faith in the God that saved and kept him alive for decades longer than predicated. Kent Buswell was always a stubborn fighter; this was his fight to live for his family.
The next few decades challenged him with natural disasters, multiple types of cancer treatments, a divorce, and growing children. Through it all, Kent never slowed down or considered giving up. He did the best that he could. While living his everyday life, he enjoyed going to Renaissance Festivals. After 33 years in the postal service, Kent Buswell retired in 2018. This gave him the opportunity to make traveling to Renaissance Festivals, national parks, and family the full-time job he had earned. These were the places where he generously shared his experiences with his friends and family and made his own community. Home was where his family was, by blood or made.

In the fall of 2022, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Being the fighter and person of action that he was, he underwent radiation. The treatment rid him of the cancer. It also weakened his body. His obstinate essence fought and held on as long as he could. Kent was not too proud to take suggestions from family and friends to assist his quality of life. On June 17, 2023, with his three children present, the weight of the world of the strongest man was lifted from his shoulders, so he could rest peacefully without pain, sickness, and worries.

While his absence leaves a hole that will be difficult to fill, his legacy of hard work, integrity, and unique sense of humor left an impression on all he met. If Kent teased you, it meant that he cared. He hid his generous heart behind a rough and gruff exterior. When he flashed his impish smile, he let you see a glimpse of his colorful side. Kent Buswell lived his seventy-one years the way we all fully strive to- that he could following every opportunity and fulfilling his responsibilities. When he realized he made a mistake, he showed that his strength was beyond physical by apologizing. He lived more by examples of action, but you listened when he had something to say.

Kent Buswell is survived by his siblings, his children, their spouses (Christopher Wooden, Chante Buswell), grandchildren (Dominiqe Gonzales, Alona Buswell-Gonzales, Sterling Wooden, Trenton Wooden, Ethan Mendez-Gonzales, and Samuel Buswell), and countless other family and friends.