Kent Poey of Amherst, Massachusetts, passed away at the age of 73 on August 9^th, 2017. He is survived by his two sons Alan and Christopher Poey, his two grandchildren William and Rhea Poey, his first wife and mother of his sons Andrea Tovar, and his second wife Laurie DeVault and her son David Goldberg.

Kent was born to Cortlandt and Eleanore (Norstrom) Poey on April 10^th, 1944, and grew up in Glen Head, Long Island. In high school he was the captain of the varsity tennis team and his church league basketball team. He relished his 4 years at Colgate University, where he joined the Phi Tau fraternity and explored interests in philosophy, psychology and history. After college he earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at UMass, and then took a job at the UMass Mental Health Services, where he happily remained his entire career, providing psychotherapy to students, running a group therapy program, and serving as director of the predoctoral internship program. Kent also had a part-time private practice in Amherst where he treated adults and couples, which he maintained even after retirement from UMass.

Kent loved to travel, and in 1972 at the age of 28 he took a year off from work to backpack around the world, visiting 26 countries throughout Europe, Africa and Asia, practicing meditation with spiritual teachers in India and studying Eastern psychologies. He met his first wife Andrea Tovar in 1978, and they made their first home in Shutesbury, MA, overlooking Lake Wyola. It was there that they brought their sons Alan and Christopher into the world, before moving to a larger house in Amherst in 1986, where the family remained until the boys went off to college. Kent and Andrea were divorced in 2005 but remained good friends.

In 2005 Kent met Laurie DeVault, and the two got married in 2008. They enjoyed music and dancing, trips to Canada, California, Hawaii, St. Lucia, and Mexico, hiking in the White Mountains, and their homemade lime and grapefruit margaritas.  Their marriage ended in divorce but they always remained friends.

Kent fell in love once again when he met Martha (Marti) Harris, a fellow psychotherapist with whom he shared an interest in Buddhism. Marti was a big source of support for Kent when his cognitive decline was getting worse.

Kent loved being a dad. He coached his sons’ soccer teams for years, encouraged their academic success, and took the family on a number of memorable vacations like a safari in Kenya, a favorite resort spot in Jamaica, and family road trips around the US Southwest, Spain, and Southern France. During the summers when Kent’s father was still living, the family would spend joyful weeks at Cortlandt’s summerhouse in Southold, Long Island, where Kent loved exploring the beaches with his boys, taking them out porgy fishing on an inflatable dingy in the Sound, and playing Yahtzee, Rummykub, and Parcheesi into the night. Kent would often talk about his boys as his greatest pride and joy. He was a deeply caring and fun-loving father who taught his sons to work hard and play hard, and encouraged them to pursue their goals and become whomever they wanted to be.

Kent was a cat person, he was a lifelong Patriots, Celtics, and Yankees fan, he was an excellent golfer, he enjoyed swimming at the fitness club every morning before work, he loved taking his family camping and hiking, he took pride in his vegetable garden, and he became a big-time stamp collector in his later years, growing his father’s and grandfather’s collection into something truly special.

Kent’s life story took a sad and unfair turn when he developed Alzheimer’s disease. He spent the last two years of his life at the assisted living facility Orchard Valley in Wilbraham, MA, where he dealt with his condition with grace and acceptance. He took great pleasure in visits from his grandchildren William and Rhea, seeing them grow up to the ages of 2 and 1 respectively. During his final years, William could make him smile and laugh like no one else, and the two had formed a very special bond. Kent became adjusted to life at Orchard Valley and seemed at peace there. He died suddenly of cardiac arrest.

His memorial service will be held at Douglass Funeral Home in Amherst, MA this Saturday, August 19^th, with visitation from 1-2pm and a service from 2-3. All are welcome. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Kent’s honor to either the Alzheimer’s Association or the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation.