Kent Bacon Johnson
Kent Bacon Johnson, 73, passed away on December 25th, 2024, at his home in Garden City, Idaho, after a mercifully short battle with leukemia.
Kent was born on April 1, 1951, in Oakland, California, the son of Clement and Helen (Chapin) Johnson. Kent spent his formative years in California with his two brothers – his twin, Craig, and his older brother Mark.
Kent was a precocious and inquisitive young man, fun-loving and always on the go. Like his brothers, he was expected to acquire a wide range of practical skills to serve him later in life. These included mastering painting, carpentry, masonry, electrical work, and even wallpapering. Early in his teenage years, he developed a love of rare and ancient books. That interest resulted in spending many hours at the Huntington Library in San Marino. Huntington’s rare book collection of over 400,000 texts caught Kent’s eye early on, and he spent endless hours combing and reading in the aisles of the library. He graduated from San Marino High School in 1969.
Immediately after high school, he moved to Caldwell, Idaho, to attend the College of Idaho. While a student, he was able to use some of his handyman talents to construct glass and wood butterfly specimen shadow boxes for the college biology department with knowledge learned during his teen years. These initial construction projects would lead to a lifetime of building. During this time, he met and married Debra Kay Sutherland. They spent 32 years together and had two children, Diane Millay (Johnson) Cook in 1978 and Wesley Dean Johnson in 1981.
Kent began his career in construction, and worked in demolition for a time – but not just any type of demolition. His specialty was finding very old brick buildings and industrial chimneys to patiently deconstruct so as to be able to sell the very valuable used bricks which were always in high demand. Then over the decades, Kent transitioned to many other contractor specialties – building new homes, commercial projects, and renovating older houses. He had a gift for starting businesses and successfully launched Material Source – a lumber company, Academia De Las Americas – a language school, and Rock Bottom Granite – a granite slab supplier.
During the years, Kent frequently saw and admired rare, handmade rugs. That admiration led to yet another chapter, his most recent venture, Rarity Rugs, which held a special place in his heart since he had a lifelong appreciation of hand-made carpets. His other interests included photography, American Kenpo karate, and, most recently, fine art painting.
Kent spent most of his life in the Treasure Valley, but traveled extensively throughout the world. He made many trips to Central and South America, where he collected many friends, and to Europe, Africa, New Zealand, and elsewhere, but he still called Idaho home. He was an avid traveler and loved to help those God led him to.
He was led to build, aid, and mentor many charitable groups including Casa Bernabe, For His Children, and many others. He helped build churches, orphanages, medical clinics, and houses for over 30 years. Kent’s faith and love of God led him to help those who could not help themselves throughout his entire life. His ministry and giving nature gave him a love beyond measure through those whose lives he touched. A multitude of cards, pictures, and thank yous adorned his house and life for all to see.
Kent loved to spend his later years in fellowship with his friends, playing with his grandchildren in his warehouse, studio, or on a forklift, as in many ways he was just a big kid himself. He was beloved by so many throughout his life, and spending time with those who filled his life with joy and fellowship is what he enjoyed most.
But who was Kent? He was a simple, yet complicated man of differing attributes. He was passionate about his Christian faith and was very much at peace with passing to meet his Lord. On the surface he could be prickly, but when you knew him, you realized he had a heart of gold at his core and was deeply committed to helping others. He had no room for fools and didn’t suffer them, but if you were the salt of the earth – kind and real, he would give you the shirt off his back. He loved his family – his children, Diane and Wes, along with his grandchildren, Zeke and Ryker, and adored spending time with them.
Kent leaves behind his twin brother Craig Johnson and his older brother Mark Chapin Johnson; his children Diane (Troy) Cook, and Wesley (Cristy) Johnson, and his grandchildren Ezekiel Johnson and Ryker Johnson. He was preceded in death by his parents and many friends whom he loved dearly.
Kent and his family would like to thank the staff and providers at the St. Alphonsus Cancer Institute and Regional Medical Center for all of their care and love during his treatment.
A memorial service and reception will be held on January 10th, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at The Vineyard Christian Fellowship.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Kent’s honor can be made to the charity of your choice, or to one of the following:
Life’s Kitchen – Boise, ID @ https://lkdonations.securepayments.cardpointe.com/pay
For His Children – Ecuador @ https://forhischildren.salsalabs.org/donate/index.html
Casa Bernabe Orphage – Guatamala @ https://app.aplos.com/aws/give/FriendsofChildrenEverywhere/General
Arrangements are under the direction of Bowman Funeral Parlor of Garden City.