Obituary & Life History
Kent Douglas Shilling, 40, of Danville, passed away Monday, February 22, 2010, as a result of a plane crash, doing what he loved. He was a native of Bryan,...
Kent Douglas Shilling, 40, of Danville, passed away Monday, February 22, 2010, as a result of a plane crash, doing what he loved. He was a native of Bryan, TX and a former resident of Watson, LA where he was a 1987 graduate of Live Oak High School. He attended Louisiana State University from 1987-1989 and enlisted in the United States Navy in March of 1990. He served and defended his country in Portugal and Mayport, FL and completed his naval duty in March of 1996. In 1998 he enlisted in the Louisiana National Guard then enrolled in Louisiana Tech University, majoring in aviation. Kent was fluent in Portuguese after teaching himself while living there. He also was fluent in Arabic having attended the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, Monterey, CA. From June 2002 to March 2003, Kent served with the National Guard in Afghanistan, then returned to complete his Bachelor of Science degree at Louisiana Tech in aviation in 2004. In 2004, Kent enrolled in the graduate program at Central Missouri State University where he earned a Masters degree in Aviation Management. Kent went to Danville, KY in 2006 as a corporate pilot, then began his own business, Douglas Aviation (www.douglasaviation.org), as a full-time flight instructor. On the day of his death, Kent was offered a leadership role in a new aviation program being initiated at a private university in Kentucky.
Visitation will be at Seale Funeral Home, Denham Springs, LA on Sunday, Feb. 28, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Visitation will resume on Monday, Mar. 1, from 8 a.m. until time of service at 10 a.m., officiated by Dr. Roger Sullivan and Dr. James McCarroll. Burial will be at Amite Baptist Cemetery.
A memorial service will be held 3PM Sunday, March 7, 2010 at Temple Baptist Church on the Bypass, Danville, KY with Dr. James McCarroll officiating. An informal gathering of friends will be at the home of Amy Bogardus the evening of Saturday, March 6.
Kent is survived by his mother, Janis Shilling Crosbie; father, Charles L. Shilling and wife, Darlene, of Denham Springs; sister, Amy Shilling Hood and husband, Jim, and their children, Meghan and Ethan; brother, Adam P. Shilling and his son, Caleb; Darlene's children and friends of Kent include Keryl and her son, Jeffrey Goulas; and Paul and Jennifer Goulas and their children, Kallie and Cameron. Other survivors include numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and a special friend, Amy Bogardus of Danville, KY.
Kent was preceded in death by his maternal and paternal grandparents.
Memorial contributions are suggested to Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic, 4620 Haygood Road, Ste. 1, Virginia Beach, VA 23455.
Obituary courtesy of Preston-Pruitt Funeral Home. Guestbook available at www.preston-pruitt.com.
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