Kent Douglas Halbert

Kent Douglas Halbert was born May 9, 1961 in Crystal City, and departed this life February 12, 2026 at the age of sixty four. He grew up in DeSoto with his parents Perry and Edith, his sister Elaine and his brother Jeff. Kent was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He graduated from DeSoto High School in 1979, where he attended school activities and played trombone in band and jazz band. After High School he took classes at Jefferson College and worked at a gas station. He was interested in and enjoyed working on (as his Mom said:) “anything with wheels”. At about age 20, he began a job with A.E. Wease wholesale business and continued that employment until a serious illness resulted in his disability in 2012. He had several positions at Wease including salesman and truck delivery driver on many routes in Missouri and surrounding areas. He became a manager of the trucks and drivers and often left after a call in the night to do a route of a driver who had called in sick. He made friends easily and seemed to know owners and workers at the countless stores, gas stations and quick shops along his many delivery routes. He lived in DeSoto his entire life and seemed to know and be friendly with everyone in town.
During childhood and his teens, Kent loved to spend a lot of time with his Grandpa Earl Halbert at the family farm outside Belgrade. He really enjoyed working at the small store his Grandpa owned across Hwy. C from the farm house. He also became acquainted with many citizens of Washington County who stopped at the store. He learned a lot about merchandizing, which served him well working for the Wease Company. He also learned how and enjoyed growing vegetables, especially tomatoes. Many family and friends enjoyed the delicious tomatoes he grew in his yard in DeSoto. Kent himself wouldn’t eat tomatoes, but still liked to grow them. He also loved to go to the DeSoto Farmers Market every Saturday it was open. He enjoyed taking long trips with lots of his good friends and made many trips as long as his health allowed.
Sadly Kent’s health issues gradually resulted in his being unable to care for himself and in March, 2019 he and his mother moved into Hillcrest Care Center. Edith passed away in 2022 and he remained there until his death.
Kent was always interested in being with family and never failed to ask about his nieces and their children. He loved the little ones as they came along and was generous to them.
Kent was preceded in death by his parents, grandparents, brother Jeff, an aunt and a great niece. Left to mourn his passing include his sister Elaine Halbert Braun, her husband Bill, aunts Ilene Smiddy and Christine Volner, niece Colleen Braun, niece Tracy Braun Penfield and her husband Mike, 2 great nieces and 6 great nephews, 5 first cousins and other relatives and many good friends. He will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved him.

Services were held on Thursday, February 19th at noon at Dietrich-Mothershead Funeral Home in DeSoto.
Visitation was held on Thursday, February 19th from 11 a.m. to noon at Dietrich-Mothershead Funeral Home. Burial was held at the Caledonia Methodist Cemetery.