Betty Lee Leota (Blaw) Kent

Betty Lee (Leota) Kent (née Blaw) passed away after a short illness on July 25, 2026, holding her beloved daughter's hand.

She was born on November 4, 1928, in Jackson, Mississippi, because her mother didn't want her to be a "Damn Yankee!" The family returned to New York City for the first seven years of her life before moving to Jackson. The great tragedy of her childhood occurred when she lost her father at a Sunday School picnic at the age of 12. The highlight of her young life was meeting the train when her beloved cousin Susan arrived after being adopted as an infant. Betty Lee and Susan grew up as sisters in a multigenerational home fondly known by the family as "819," together with her mother, grandmother, Uncle Brother and Aunt Sally.

Betty Lee graduated first in her class from Gulfport College for Women, a residential high school in Long Beach, Mississippi, in 1946. She went on to graduate from Smith College in 1950, where she formed many lifelong friendships and learned that you can't ride a bicycle on ice! After college, she moved to New York City, where she began a career in advertising. In her second position, she was hired to teach her boss (a man!) the industry.

She married Martin Kent in 1954 and continued working until the birth of her daughter. The young family moved to New Rochelle in 1959, where they welcomed a son and adopted the first of the huge dogs for which the family became known.

As a young mother, Betty Lee devoted herself to her family and made frequent trips to Mississippi to visit the relatives who remained there. She volunteered at what was then New Rochelle Hospital for many years and returned to the workforce when her son was in high school. She first worked as a legal secretary and then returned to school to become a paralegal. The couple enjoyed an active social life and shared a love of cycling, opera, theater and gardening. The couple traveled extensively throughout the United States and Europe. The arrival of two grandchildren brought them immense joy. They introduced both grandchildren to bicycling, buying them bicycles as they grew. Betty Lee retired in 2007 to care for her husband, and the couple moved to Meadow Ridge in Redding, Connecticut, in 2008. There, Betty Lee embraced an active community life, serving on numerous resident committees, including Dining, Library, the Employee Scholarship Fund, and the Employee Appreciation Fund, chairing many of them. She also served multiple terms on the Resident Board of Directors.

Betty Lee is survived by her daughter, Betsy Kent Vibert, and her daughter's husband, Mark Ruthven Vibert; her grandchildren, Matthew Hart Vibert(Chelsea) and Bethany Vibert Yurek(John); her great-grandchildren, Henry Monteith Vibert, Thomas Arthur Vibert, Jace William Yurek, and Cora Lee Yurek; and her sister/cousin, Susan Asher Calechman. She was predeceased by her husband; her son, Martin Kent Jr.; her parents, Leota Asher Blaw and Bertram Ralph Blaw; her aunt and uncle; and her cousin, Stephen Eisman Asher.

A beloved daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and sister, Betty Lee will be remembered by her family and friends as a warm, happy, and generous woman who always had a positive outlook on life.

Services will be private.

Donations in Betty Lee's memory may be made to the Beth Israel Congregation Rebuilding Fund in Jackson, Mississippi, or to the Cure Alzheimer's Fund.