Kent Lee Koehler, Sr.

Kent Lee Koehler, Sr., 89, of Peru, passed away Monday, April 26, 2021 at his residence surrounded by his family.

The Mass of Christian burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, April 30, 2021 at Queen of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in La Salle, with Fr. J.A. Small as celebrant.  Private family burial will be held at a later date.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, April 29, 2021 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the Hurst Funeral Home in La Salle with a prayer service to be held at 4:45 p.m.  Additional visitation will be at the funeral home on Friday from 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Kent was born March 21, 1932 in Peru, the son of George “Jim” and Justine “Chris” (Banko) Koehler.  He married Linda L. Bernardi on September 1, 1956 at Queen of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in LaSalle. They have enjoyed nearly 65 years of marriage.

Kent proudly served our country in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War.  Upon his honorable discharge, he worked as a self-employed plasterer for many years, before becoming the owner and operator of Kent’s Tap in Peru.  After selling the tavern, Kent worked as head of maintenance for Spring Valley Nursing Home, and then Basswood Nursing Home in Princeton until his retirement.

Kent was born into a family with a long history of duck hunting, duck decoy carving, boat making, and overall outdoorsmanship.  He loved all these things, and shared his love of hunting with all of his family.  Kent was also a craftsman.  He could make and fix almost anything, and anything he did, he did to the best of his abilities.  Kent would help anyone, and was there to help friends and family with their home renovation projects.  He also had a passion for coin collecting, and he went through great effort to collect specific coins for his grandchildren.  Kent was a lifelong member and co-owner of the Wing Shooters Duck Club, a lifetime member of the V.F.W. in LaSalle, a member of the American Legion in Ottawa, and a past member of the Elks Lodge in Oglesby. He accomplished much in his life, but he was most proud of his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

Kent is survived by his wife, Linda L. Koehler of Peru; children, Belinda (David) Pittman of Peru, Mechelle “Shelly” (Russell) Fleischer of Reston, VA, Christine (Jerry) Kowalczyk of Chicago, Carolyn (William) Assalley of Taylorville, Kent (Josie) Koehler, Jr. of Peru, Peggy (Ken) Brown of Marion, IA, and Katherine (Matthew) Jordan of Nokesville, VA; grandchildren, Dianah (Daniel) Tremblay, Elizabeth (Ryan) Whitecotton, Kathryn (Chris) Kamp, Michael (Lauren) Assalley, Nicholas (Lorielle) Kowalczyk, Justina (Alex) Morse, Lauren (Wesley) Layton, Alexandra Koehler, Mariko Kurobe, Sydney Assalley, Daniel Fleischer, Calvin Brown, McIntyre Jordan, Samuel Jordan, Brogan Jordan, Ewan Jordan, and Declan Jordan; great grandchildren, Alexander, Ila, Vincent, Rhiannon, and Theodore; former exchange student and special daughter, Claudia Pleskatchow De Antonorsi; and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and brothers, Jim, Merle “Mack”, and Richard “Speck” Koehler.

Pallbearers will be David Pittman, Jerry Kowalczyk, William Assalley, Josie Koehler, Ken Brown, and Matthew Jordan.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to: Autism Speaks, 9200 Olive Blvd Suite 202, St. Louis, MO 63132.

Please visit www.hurstfuneralhomes.com to share memories of Kent, or offer condolences to his family.