As received from the Erickson Crowley Peterson Funeral Home. If you have questions about, or potential corrections to the content, please contact the funeral home directly.
With great sadness we announce the death of Professor Kent David Elwood, a devoted teacher and sincere lover of this world. He passed away on the 24th of April, 2026, on the dock of his cottage in Copper Harbor, Michigan, while enjoying a beautiful spring morning on Lake Superior. While this is a devastating loss for the many whose lives he has enriched with his love and passions for learning, justice, and the natural world, we are grateful that he transcended this plane of existence in his favorite place, outdoors, with a view of the lake. He lived an abundant life of 77 years filled with the pursuits of a seasoned adventurer.
Born to John Franklin Elwood and Arleene Kuhn Elwood in Batavia, Illinois on December 12th, 1948, Kent went on to cut a rigorously intellectual path, getting his BA in Mathematics (1971) and PhD in Educational Psychology (1977) from Northwestern University and spending 43 years as a professor of Psychology at Illinois College before his retirement in 2018. He was deeply devoted to the service of teaching—something that was appreciated by his students and colleagues whom he challenged to “think deeply and critically”. He dedicated much time and effort into improving learning and developing new opportunities at the school, working with Professor Deborah Beal to establish an environmental studies major and designing an innovative interdisciplinary course on The Illinois River Valley and its Peoples, which gave students the opportunity to transcend the confines of both departmental boundaries and the physical classroom, taking field trips along the Illinois River to learn about the land and its peopled history by interacting with it directly. Kent received the college’s Harry J. Dunbaugh Distinguished Professor Award, among many other recognitions of his service and excellence.
While he was proud of his accomplishments as a professor, Kent’s interests were too expansive to be defined within the walls of one institution or vocation. He was a devout lover of the water, both flowing and still, and especially Lake Superior. He would often sit on the back porch of his beachside cottage with friends and loved ones and share a cup of coffee or a slice of pie while watching the sunset or sunrise reflect itself on the water. In 1990, he channeled his love of water into establishing The Boat Company, Inc., a kayak tour service in Copper Harbor. He was also a skilled carpenter who built four boats, a “treehouse” overlooking the Illinois River, a barn, a gift shop, and a farm estate. Over the years, he amassed an unknowable, but surely impressive, number of kayaks, trailers, art nouveau artifacts, and yacht club memberships across the US and Caribbean.
When he wasn’t on the water Kent was sure to be found exploring, or building something nearby. In his day he was known for skiing with the MIT cross-country ski team, spelunking with the Merimac Valley Grotto Caving Club, beekeeping, nurturing flowers and young trees, taking his young grandchildren “jeeping”, berry-picking, and training to become a yoga instructor. He co-founded the Honey Bear Curiosity Shop with his parents in 1969, which served as one of Copper Harbor’s finest toy/antique shops until 2000. He served on the board of The Arc Jacksonville, which supports those with intellectual and developmental differences in their pursuits of personal fulfillment, and was present at the creation of “Guts Frisbee,” an alleged predecessor of Ultimate Frisbee.
As a passionate teacher and devoted community member, Kent has enriched the lives of a multigenerational and multinational contingent of fellow adventurers, and will be deeply missed. He is survived by his children Megan Elwood Madden (spouse Andy Elwood Madden, with young adult sons Will and Finn), a Professor of Earth & Environmental Sciences at Michigan State University, and David Elwood (spouse Emily Orling), a senior hydro turbine/generator engineer with GE Vernova based in Wenatchee, Washington. Other survivors include former wife and mother of his children Peg Erickson Elwood, former wife and continued close friend Deborah Beal, stepdaughter Lauren Beal, sister-in-law Barbara Elwood, and niece Carrie Elwood. His brother John P. Elwood and nephew Craig Elwood preceded him in death. His memory will proudly be carried on by his family and a myriad of
friends, colleagues, and former students.
Services will be held in celebration of Kent’s life in Copper Harbor over July 4th and Illinois this fall. All are welcome. We encourage folks who knew him to go out and enjoy nature in remembrance of Kent. If you like flowers, please plant some in your garden in his memory. He was a long-time supporter of the Keweenaw County Historical Society and the Illinois State Museum.
As we mourn the passing of an intrepid navigator of life, we take heart in the words of longtime Copper Harbor resident, photographer, and founder of the Keweenaw Adventure Company, Steve Brimm: “In a village of 100 souls, it’s tough to lose one, especially of the old guard. Godspeed, Kent. Fair winds and following seas my friend.”
The Erickson Crowley Peterson Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be left at www.ericksoncrowleypeterson.com
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