The loss of a great Wildcat

Kent Jameson may have been born a Clovis Wildcat, but his heart was true Lovington Wildcat blue.

He was taught at a young age that if you take care of your community, the community will take care of you. That’s how his family and friends are now reflecting on his life.

A co-owner of Bob’s Thriftway with his brothers, Gary and Mike, and one of the community’s biggest supporters, Kent Jameson passed away Tuesday after a nine-month battle with brain cancer. He was 55 years young. “He was really passionate about everything that is Lovington,” Kent’s oldest son, Brad, said Thursday. “He was passionate about the community, about sports and athletics, about academics. He was supportive of everything.”

Brad said the amount of support the family has received from the community has been “incredible.”

“We haven’t had to cook a meal in nine months,” Brad said. “Through this whole thing I never once met a community member that disliked him. He was very well liked. I have people coming up to me all the time telling me how my dad helped them or their family. They would tell me things that I didn’t even know he did.”

That’s because Kent didn’t want the recognition. Friends and family members said Kent was the type of man who would help someone because that’s what he wanted to do. It didn’t matter who you were, what you represented or your cause.

“If you needed help, you went to Bob’s,” said longtime coach and educator Speedy Faith on Thursday. “If there was an event that needed some kind of fundraiser you contacted Bob’s Thriftway and they found you a spot. It’s the only grocery store in town so the traffic was always high.”

Kent was born in Clovis on Aug. 24, 1961. His family moved to Lovington when he was in the fourth grade. His parents, Bob and Bobbie Jameson, started Bob’s Thriftway. Kent grew up as one of the more popular students in school. He was an athlete who competed in track and football. He graduated in 1979 and was voted “Mr. LHS.” Curiously, Kent also participated in the “Up, Up and Away” Choir.

“I don’t know if Kent could sing,” Speedy said with a laugh. “Back then we had a choir teacher who knew how to target the popular kids and get them to be in the choir. Yeah, I don’t know if he could sing, but he had a lot of talent.”

One of Kent’s high school football coaches also knew Kent had a lot of talent. Art Karger was the running backs coach for the Wildcats during the late 1970s, but he was also the school’s boys basketball coach.

“I could ask Kent to do something when he played running back and he was always willing to try it,” Art said on Thursday. “One thing we realized he couldn’t do was play basketball. That didn’t stop him from trying. He played as a sophomore and didn’t get in the game much. He knew he wasn’t a basketball player, but at the end of the season he came to me and thanked me for letting him play. He thanked me, I’ll never forget that.”

Art went on to become the high school’s assistant principal and principal and then the school district’s superintendent. Through the years he saw their relationship grow from teacher-student to a true friendship. Art often visited Kent at sporting or school events, or at the grocery store and each time he saw him, Kent always called him “Coach.”

“His own kids call me ‘Coach,’” Art said. “As a teacher you want to see the kids you teach and coach excel in life. You see them grow up and start families of their own. To hear his children call me ‘coach’ showed to me the type of parent he was and the kind of respect he demanded from his children. Kent made them realize that he and I had a special relationship.”

Speedy coached Brad in football and said Kent was one of a few parents who he listened to when it came to the sport of football.

“I valued his opinion because he knew the game,” said Speedy, “but he also respected the jobs we have as coaches. Despite all his donations and help with the teams, he never demanded his kids get treated better or asked for more playing time. That wasn’t who he was. He was a great booster. He wanted our kids as individuals and as teams be competitive. That’s what he strove for.” Speedy said that Kent never had a false hope about beating the illness. Kent fought to the bitter end.

“He battled,” Speedy said. “Kent was such a fighter. He never lost hope and he never complained. But I know he’s in a better place now. He is free of his pain and he is looking down at all of us now and smiling like he always did.”

Speedy is scheduled to speak at Kent’s funeral service on Saturday. He said he is still working on what to say and planned to meet the family on Thursday. His description of Kent was two words: “Steel and velvet,” Speedy said.

“He is the epitome of a man,” he added. “He was a man’s man. He was hard and expected a full day’s work for a full day’s pay, but his compassion and generosity on a day-to-day basis in this town is unmatched. Our Lovington Wildcat Nation is mourning the loss of a great Wildcat.”

Visitation for Kent takes place today from noon-8 p.m. at Kirby-Smith-Rogers Funeral Home, 321 W. Washington, in Lovington. His family is scheduled to be in attendance from 6-7 p.m. His funeral service is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Saturday at First Methodist Church. Burial will follow at Lovington Cemetery.

Todd Bailey can be reached at 574-391-5440 or at editor@ hobbsnews.com.