Kent Lawrence Baskett was born December 24th, 1952 in Tacoma, WA to his parents Lawrence and Dolores Baskett (Yost). Kent passed peacefully surrounded by family on August 16th, 2024 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup.

Kent grew up in the Graham area and graduated from Bethel High School in 1972. Kent was the oldest of five children and was active in his community. He enjoyed 4-H, FFA, his church, and was an avid skier and ski instructor at Paradise on Mt. Rainier and Crystal Mountain. After graduation from Bethel High School he went on to attend Centralia College.

In 1975, Kent began his career with the Pierce County Parks Department. He retired in 2018 as the Pierce County Parks Superintendent after his 43 years of service. During this time, Kent was also involved in the Daffodil Festival as a Daffodilian and member of the float crew for 18 years. Every September Kent spent his time working at the Washington State Fair as the backstage manager. He always had a great story to tell and truly loved serving his community.

He loved spending time at the family cabin on White Pass. His favorite time of the year was fall where he was able to hunt, work on projects, feed the squirrels, and spend time in the woods with his family.

Kent was preceded in death by his mother Dolores Baskett (Yost) and his father Lawrence Baskett. He is survived by his wife of 50 years Karen and their two boys Kalen (Joey) and Kyle as well as his granddaughter Kelsie (his favorite grandchild) and his beloved dachshund Rosie. He is also survived by his four siblings Shiela (Doug) Off, Teresa (Ed) Harkins, Glen (Dodie), Ryan (Christy) and many nieces and nephews.

His first hero in life was his dad. His second hero in life was Judy. In 2006, Judy chose to give the gift of life by donating a kidney to Kent. With this gift Kent had 18 more years of memories, laughter, cabin adventures, and joy with the people he loved, and his family was gifted with 18 more years with the best man.

Please join us to celebrate Kent’s life on Sunday October 6th, 2024 from 2-4pm at the Lodge at Frontier Park in Graham.

In lieu of flowers, if you would like to donate, please consider donating to the American Cancer Society or the Kidney Research Institute.