Jarrell Kent Taylor

Jarrell Kent Taylor, “Kent,” passed away in Sandy, Utah on October 30, 2021. Kent was born the first of four children to Arthur Hugh and Ida Ethel Taylor on January 2, 1933 in Vernal, Utah.

From an early age, Kent farmed with his father and spent summers grazing sheep in the mountains of the Uintah Basin. Farming and mountains remained dear to Kent for the remainder of his life. He graduated from Uintah High School in 1951 and earned a Bachelors of Science in Agriculture in 1957 and a Masters of Science in Range Management in 1959 from Utah State University. His schooling was interrupted by two years of service with the U.S. Army, in Fairbanks, Alaska. Through his membership in Sigma Pi, he met his wife of 67-years, Geraldine “Jeri” Bates and they were married on September 5, 1953 (later solemnized in the Logan Temple) and together they raised two daughters and a son. Kent and Jeri were active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and formed deep friendships through their longstanding study and dinner clubs. Kent was a provider to the very end. He would do anything for family and friends and always put others before himself. He was a model of selfless service and hard work.

In 1959, Kent began employment with the U.S. Forest Service on the Wasatch National Forest and initiated the first range inventory studies of alpine plants in the High Uintah Mountains. Kent moved on to the Kamas Ranger District, the Caribou National Forest, the regional range management division in Ogden, and Branch Chief of Recreation and Lands on both the Fishlake and then the Ashley National Forest. Kent’s final career move was back to the Fishlake National Forest in 1979 as Forest Supervisor. During his tenure on the Fishlake, he managed the grazing of cattle and sheep on over 80 grazing allotments and improved more than 1,500,000 acres of range with fences, pipelines and water developments for the Oak Creek Mountain Coordinated Range Management Project. In 1986, Kent received the Secretary of Agriculture’s Distinguished Service Award for this decade long work. Kent retired in 1991 with almost 34-years of forestry and range management achievements.

Kent was a member of the Society of Range Management for more than 30-years and was presented the “Rangeman of the Year” award in 1990 by the Utah section. He was chairman of the publicity committee for the 1985 national meeting and also served as Utah section president in 1982.

Kent and Jeri retired on five beautiful acres in the Little Green Valley of Monroe, Utah surrounded by pastures and corrals where Kent raised many cows and horses, grew and harvested hay and tended to a large vegetable garden. Kent volunteered hundreds of hours working with the Richfield Cemetery committee and the Shade Tree Commission. Kent was busy in retirement and he and Jeri looked forward to attending every program and game to support their grandson in his various school and sports activities. Kent began breeding and raising Missouri Fox Trotter horses, owning and caring for 17 horses at one time. The good pedigree and training earned Kent numerous show awards and recognition for his prized horses. Kent’s ultimate joys were back country horse pack trips throughout the Rocky Mountains of Utah, Idaho and Wyoming and he was a member of the Central Utah Chapter of the Back Country Horsemen of America. Kent and other Forest Service retirees formed their own mountain horse riding group affectionately called “The Old Bulls.” These friends spent weeks and weeks over the years riding mountain trails, setting up camps and sharing their love of the forest around campfires. Kent was a lifelong fan of the Boston Red Sox and enjoyed a spirited baseball rivalry with his grandson, an avid Yankees fan.

Kent is preceded in death by his beloved wife, Jeri, his sisters Marlene and Lois Joy, and his son-in-law, Alvin Aoki. He is survived by his sister, Kathryn A. Taylor, his daughters Jacquie (Alvin Aoki) and Alison (Michael J. Gallagher), his son Jeffrey (Raphael Bostic), his grandson Michael Hugh Gallagher, brother-in-law Fenton Bates (Elaine) and sister-in-law Janice Bennett.

There will be a family memorial service and burial will be in the Lapoint Cemetery, Lapoint, Utah. The family wishes to thank the dedicated staff of Crescent Senior Living in Sandy as well as Mike Fenton, a friend and caregiver, with Home Instead, and Johnathon and Anneliesse with Encompass Home Care. In lieu of flowers please consider making a charitable donation to an organization near and dear to Kent’s heart, Back Country Horsemen of America, P.O. Box 1182 Columbia Falls, MT 59912 or call 406-781-8252. Please designate “In Memory of J. Kent Taylor, Utah Chapter.”