Jeanne (Burns) Kent, 89, daughter of Maryse Sudour Burns of Paris, France, and Harold Ferrier Burns of London, England, passed away peacefully on April 8, 2023, in White Plains, New York. She was predeceased by her beloved husband Leonard P. Kent and her grandson William Kent. She is survived by her brother Robert Burns, her three children, Jennifer Kent and partner Lester Krumholz, Eric Kent and fiancée Linda Lonergan, and Susanne Kent-Miller and husband Neil Miller, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Robert Burns, the Scottish poet and composer of Auld Lang Syne, was Jeanne’s great-great-great uncle.
Born in Montreal, Canada in 1933, the family moved to Croton-On-Hudson, New York, in 1944 and to Manhattan a few years later. A graduate of Cornell University, Jeanne also earned a master’s degree in special education from The College of New Rochelle and was a substitute teacher in the Pelham Public Schools. Jeanne and Lenny raised their family in Pelham, New York, where she lived for over fifty years.
An avid aviator and active member of the Ninety-Nines, an international organization of women pilots, Jeanne served as president of the North Jersey chapter for two years. She flew cross-country multiple times. She was instrument-rated and owned her own plane, which allowed her to fly back and forth to their home on Martha’s Vineyard.
For years, Jeanne and Lenny chartered a boat and sailed with their children on summer vacations. Her many passions included playing the flute, tending her garden, and volunteering for the New Rochelle Garden Club. She taught synchronized swimming and swimming classes for babies at the Y in Yonkers. An exceptional cook, she enjoyed playing tennis, bicycle riding, kayaking, sewing, knitting and needlepoint. Along with creative writing and many other adult education classes, she loved the ballet, classical music, opera, museums, bird watching, and traveling.
The family extends its deepest gratitude to Denice Bryan, and the staff at The Kensington White Plains, for their compassionate care of our mother. Jeanne was a devoted wife and mother and will be deeply missed by everyone who loved her.
Donations in her honor are welcome to The Ninety-Nines (https://www.ninety-nines.org/, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology (https://join.birds.cornell.edu/page/39428/donate/1), The New York City Ballet (https://tickets.nycballet.com/support/donate), or the charity of your choice.