Obituary of Kent Mitchell McLeland

Kent Mitchell McLeland passed away on August 11th, 2023 at the age of 52. He was born on September 15, 1970 at Methodist Hospital to proud parents Don and Marla McLeland and sister Pam. The family lived in Richfield and enjoyed taking trips to their cabin in Osakis, MN. He played baseball and tennis early on and competed in school programs, often playing tennis doubles with his sister Pam. He worked for the family printing business in the summers. Kent attended and graduated from Richfield High School in 1989 before starting classes at Normandale and Hennepin Tech, focusing on automotive service. Kent then worked at Firestone, starting as a tire changer. He enjoyed the work and managed to hold every role in the store before becoming a General Manager of several different locations.

Kent loved to travel and would take group and solo trips. He visited 49 of the 50 United States, only missing Maine. He visited many locations in the Caribbean and Central America, securing his scuba diving license and enjoyed time observing sea life while underwater. Kent also loved music and to see bands perform. He and his best friend Jeff would take roadtrips to see some of their favorite musical groups or to visit sports halls of fame.

In 1999 Kent purchased his home in Chaska, MN. It wasn’t too long before he started making improvements to it, taking his mechanical experience into DIY home repairs. The neighborhood quickly learned of his abilities (and sizable tool collection) and he became known as “Tool Guy.” He enjoyed helping others and lending his knowledge in the areas of automotive and home repair. Kent was proud of the fact that he replaced all the siding on his home himself over a short period of time. He also built the deck and later constructed a massive shed for the back yard. During this time Kent left Firestone and started working for his parent’s printing company, PX Paperworx.

In January of 2008 Kent met Michelle and the two started dating exclusively. By August they determined they should get married, though they kept that secret to themselves until early 2009. The couple married on April 24, 2009. In anticipation of getting a puppy, Kent put his skills forward once again and built a giant cedar fence around their backyard. They brought Charlie home in September of 2010 and Kent was smitten. Kent continued his love of travel and the couple took trips to California, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the Florida Keys and took their last trip together to Antigua in April of 2023 to celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary. Throughout that time, Kent worked a variety of different places, lending his skills and talents to service writing for Ford dealerships, doing business parts sales for O’Reilly and helping the DIY-er successfully complete their home projects while working at Home Depot.

Kent’s health declined over the last few years and he passed away peacefully, surrounded by the love of his family on Friday, August 11th. He will always be remembered for his quick wit, the ability to pick out the perfect greeting card to make the recipient laugh, his ‘mad skills’ with any kind of project he attempted, and his heart for his family and animals. He especially loved giraffes and would visit them at local zoos whenever he could.

Kent is preceded in death by grandparents Clifford Gustafson, Florence Gustafson, Lyle K McLeland (Mac), Gertrude McLeland and father Don McLeland.

He is survived by wife Michelle McLeland, mother Marla McLeland, sister Pam (Bill) Owen, and niece and nephew Abby and Jack Owen.

A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, August 30th at Fort Snelling Chapel (1 Tower Avenue, Fort Snelling.) Visitation will begin at 1pm with the service starting at 2pm.

A light reception will be held at the Cremation Society of Minnesota (7110 France Avenue S, Edina) starting at 3pm.