Inez Davis Kent
1922-2001
Spouse
Namon Ralph Kent I
1918-1990
Children
Dr. Marion James Rufus Kent
John Ralph Kent
During the Jim Crow and Post Jim Crow Periods Inez Davis Kent and her two sons, Dr. Marion James Rufus Kent and John Ralph Kent were active members of the FWB community! Dr. Marion James Rufus Kent currently lives in the Kent Family Estate home at 11 McGriff Street NE that he grew up in as a teen with his late mother Inez Davis Kent and younger brother John Ralph Kent that was built in 1957 by Southern Homes of Ocean City!
Inez was born in Baker, FL to Buster Davis and Willie Mae Taylor Davis and spent most of her childhood and adult life living and working in Okaloosa County. After her mother and father divorced she moved with her mother from Baker, FL to Chipley FL where her mother married Theodore Bell. While living in Chipley, FL, Inez and her family were active members of Mt Ararat Missionary Baptist Church, Chipley, FL, She attended Roulhac School before dropping out in the 10th grade, met and married Namon Ralph Kent,
the father of her two sons, and worked as maid at the Albert Deermont family home in Chipley, FL.
In 1949, Namon and Inez separated. Inez with her two sons moved from Chipley, FL to West Tampa, FL where she worked as a maid for the Richardson Family and her sons attended Dunbar Elementary School. Dunbar Elementary School was established in honor of Paul Laurence Dunbar in 1927, and became a magnet school in 1997. A year later, Inez moved to St Petersburg, FL to continue her work as a maid for the Richardson Family and with her two sons lived in the Jordon Park Homes, Florida’s Oldest Housing Project. Her sons attended Jordon Park Elementary School.
After a major problem with her son’s father, in 1951 Inez moved from St Petersburg, FL, Left her two sons in the care of her aunts V, L, Bly and Barbara Daniels in Chipley, FL while she found work in Ft Walton Beach, FL. In 1952, Inez moved her sons from Chipley FL into a rented one bedroom apartment at 20 Gipson Drive, Apartment 7 (Now Seaside Escape), Midtown Ft Walton Beach. From there she moved to a rented home on Washington Avenue (McGriff Street NE and now a business at 123 McGriff Street NE), from there to a rental home on Germany Drive behind Nick’s Hotel. After purchasing a lot on Washington Avenue (McGriff Street NE) in 1957 she had Southern Homes of Ocean City to build the Kent Family home at 20 Washington Avenue, (Now 11 McGriff Street NE).
Inez was know as one of the prominent cooks in Ft Walton Beach, FL. (FWB) For many years she worked as head cook at the FWB Staff Restaurant (now Docie’s Dock – A Local Watering Hole – Fort Walton Beach). For 100 years the restaurant and the Gulfview Hotel beside it have occupied a spot between U.S. Highway 98 and Santa Rosa Sound. Inez was also the head cook at the 1961 opening of the new Marina Bay Resort Downtown FWB.
(Staff Cafe, now closed)
She closed out her cooking career as cook, maid and Nanny for the Tolbert Family, the owners of the Ramada Inn after becoming legally blind. During Inez’s work period at Staff Restaurant her son Marion also worked as a pot washer, dish washer, salad boy, bus boy, and at 17 years of age evening Short Order Chef Cook. She was an active member of Beulah Missionary Baptist Church, FWB.
Inez’s sons were highly admired and respected in the FT Mid-town area. They both attended Brooks School and members of the FWB African American students to attend the 1954-55 opening of Carver-Hill High School in Crestview. While attending Carver-Hill High School Marion was given his first after school job by Mr. Myron F, Curtis, manager of Christos’s 5 Cent & 10 Cent Store in downtown FWB who taught Marion many work skills. Marion also worked as a dish washer at Chuck Clary’s Bayview Stake House and Bar in Ocean City, FWB.
Both were basketball and football high school stars at Carver-Hill and members of the only Carver-Hill High School basketball and Football Championship teams.
Both graduated from Carver-Hill High School, Dr. Kent graduated from Carver-Hill High School in 1959 with honors. John graduated in 1960 and both graduated from college, Dr, Marion James Rufus Kent from Central State University in OH and John Ralph Kent from Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL. Dr. Kent also attended Florida A&M University during his junior year of college, 1961-62.
During their college years in the early 1960’s Marion and John worked with the waiter/bus boy/cook team of FWB African Americans that worked at the Spyglass Inn and Silver Beach in Destin, FL. It was also the waiter/bus boy/cook team that opened The Old Coronado Inn/Motel (Sheraton Coronado in FWB.)
After graduating from college in the 1960’s both moved to Cincinnati, OH to began their professional work careers. In 1996, Dr. Kent was honored as City of Cincinnati OH public employee of the year by the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission. From 1980 until he retired in 1996, Dr. Kent worked as an Employment and Training Supervisor for the City of Cincinnati! From 1963-1980, he also worked as a teacher at Hays Elementary School under the leadership of Vivian J. Beamon, and school administrator with the Cincinnati Public Schools and was honored for his educational leadership as Director of the Career Opportunities Program (COP) an urban teacher education program and founded the Cincinnati Public Schools Educational Technology Department. Upon returning to FWB in 2009, he worked as a Okaloosa County Schools substitute teacher.
In 1964, Dr. Kent married his college sweetheart Janet Twyman Kent and to their union was born Venus Renee Kent on January 12, 1965. Dr. Kent lost Janet to colon cancer in 2000. He Married Marva Lyde Kent in Las Vegas NV in 2001 where they lived together until they separated in 2009 and Dr. Kent returned to FWB and the home that he grew up in as a teen with his late mother Inez and younger brother John.
John married the love of his heart Dorothy M Kent and they had three sons, Namon, Vincent and Jason. After their divorce, In 2002 John married his current wife Marsha H Kent.
John Ralph Kent Setting and Dr. Marion James Rufus Kent Standing are now retired and both are now living in Florida, John in Davenport, FL and Dr, Marion James Kent returned to FWB in 2009 and now living in the Family Home at 11 McGriff Street NE. Before his retirement, John worked as Assisted Store Manager for F. W. Woolworth Five and Dine Store Cincinnati, OH and as a R. J. Reynold Tobacco Company marketing agent in Cincinnati, OH and Chicago, IL. He founded and managed his own Fire Lose Construction Company on the Southside of City of Chicago, J. R. Kent Construction Company.
Marion has two kids, a son and a daughter, three grandchildren and two great grandchildren. John has three sons and five grandchildren. Both have grandchildren that were college basketball stars. John youngest son was and outstanding football star a Hoffman Estate High School IL and played college football at Ball State University, IN. Marion’s son, Darnell “BoBo” Shumpert, who was born in Ft Walton Beach, FL is retired from the US Air Force and is now working in the Homeland Security Department for the State of CA. His Daughter Venus Renee Kent is an honor graduate from Ohio University with a major in Business and Computer Science and has a MBA Degree in Marketing from Ohio State University. She is currently Program Manger, University of Cincinnati Ethics Center and has a home base business.
Both of Marion’s grandsons played college basketball and both have graduated from college. His Grandson D J Shumpert played in the Drew League and three season in the NBA G League with the Los Angeles Defenders.
D. J. Shumpert number 6 Drew League
Two of John’s sons graduated from college and two of his grand children. His grand daughter Rachel Kent was the most valuable player 2019 IHSA Girls Basketball 4 A Champions Main West High School Des Plaines, IL and is a high ranked three point shooter in women’s NCAA Division 1 basketball and played two seasons for St Louis University.
She transferred to IUPUI for the 2021-22 season and was a member of the 2021-22 Horizon Conference Championship team. She lead the team and Horizon Conference in 3 point percentage.
After graduation from IUPUI, Rachel enrolled at Butler University as a graduate student and played out her last year of college women basketball. While attending Butler University she because engaged to Derek Mount , the grandson of Purdue University and ABA Basketball standout, Rick Mount and they got married on May 18, 2024.
Derek Mount and Rachel Kent May 19,2024 Wedding.
Dr. Marion James Rufus Kent (age 83) and brother John Ralph Kent (age 81) May 2024
2025 Family Reunion Plant City FL Photos
Inez Davis Kent passed on April 14, 2001 – age 78 in FWB and was laid to rest next in her grandmother in the North Side Cemetery Chipley, FL.
Namon Ralph Kent I passed on December 11, 1990 – age 72 in Okeechobee, FL and was laid to rest next to his second wife Inez Kent in the Evergreen Cemetery, Okeechobee, FL.