Norbert Adam Cent passed away at the age of 85 Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, into the Lord’s arms at his home in Arlington. He was born in Harvey, Illinois, on June 6, 1938, to Adam and Angie (Jagielski) Cent.
He served in the U.S. Army and then earned a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in industrial technology and post-secondary education from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. He moved to Nebraska to teach at Central Community College in Columbus where he met his wife, Beverly. Norbert married Beverly Wilkins Dec. 29, 1973, in Arlington. They moved to Waterloo, Iowa, where he taught John Deere apprentices at Hawkeye Institute of Technology. He was a research coordinator at Ames Laboratory at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, for several years before he and his family returned to Nebraska. In Columbus he worked at Orion and Torin before his retirement. He and Bev moved to Arlington in 2014.
Norbert was a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church at Arlington. He enjoyed woodworking, reading, gardening, spending time with family and had a love for learning.
He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Martha Dare; brother, Ted Cent; nephew, Ted Shafer; and brother-in-law, Denny Wilkins.
Norbert is survived by his wife Beverly; daughter, Alicia (J.P.) Rhea their children Jamey, Sarah, and Mana Rhea all of Arlington; daughter, Alana (Mark) Dowdell, their children, Lauren and Cooper Dowdell all of Adelaide, Australia: sister, Barbara Shafer of Crown Point, Indiana; brother-in-law, Tom (Mardell) Wilkins of Arlington and nieces and nephews.
Memorial Service will be 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church north of Arlington. Visitation will be 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Reckmeyer-Moser Funeral Home in Arlington. Interment will be at the Arlington Cemetery at a later date.
In lieu of flowers memorials are suggested to The American Cancer Society or JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). Online condolences may be left at www.mosermemorialchapels.com.
