Commander Kent Wayne Curl USN (ret) (Aug. 3, 1930 - Dec. 24, 2025)
Coronado Eagle & Journal
23 March 2026
Commander Kent W. Curl peacefully passed away from natural causes on December 24, 2025. He was 95 years old.
Kent was born on August 3, 1930, as the son of the late Henry Harrison (“Harry”) and Marjorie Copeland Curl, growing up alongside three siblings in the idyllic farm town of Cardington, Ohio. Kent and his siblings diligently shared the labor of the family business, which was owning the local funeral home. At age 13, Kent was driving ambulances throughout Cardington and neighboring towns, for as little as five dollars per client. The family also shared their property with local farmers and helped with tending to the land, with Kent driving a truck through the fields as young as 8 years old. His integrity blossomed at a young age, and he would go on to accomplish a distinguished career and picturesque family life. He was steady, serious, and dependable, and took great pride in his family and life’s work.
In early adulthood, Kent went on to attend Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio, and considered multiple career paths. He took the LSAT and excelled on his first try, scoring himself a lifelong role in MENSA. However, the Navy is what caught his true attention, after receiving an appointment to the Naval Academy from a local Congressman. He graduated with distinction with the Class of 1953 and embarked on a cruiser tour, eventually attending Officer School, during which time he met his future wife, Shirley Magden. His boundless curiosity and disciplined intellect landed him in the Advanced Sciences at the University of Michigan, where he earned master’s degrees in Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, followed by orders to the Naval Academy as an Instructor in Mathematics. With his skillset, he was drafted into the Navy Nuclear Power Program, attending Submarine School, with his active duty finally being capped by an assignment to the NATO staff in Naples, Italy. He retired in 1974.
Kent married Shirley Magden in 1956, and would be married for 55 years until her passing in 2011. Kent’s career took them to many states and countries, notably Naples, Italy, Oahu, Hawaii, and more, eventually landing in San Diego, California. They had three boys, Kent D., Christopher, and Todd. After retirement from the Navy, he worked as a Field Engineer for General Electric Nuclear Energy, building nuclear power plants throughout the U.S. After retirement from GE in 1994, Kent and Shirley built a house in Mammoth Lakes, California.
There, he worked at the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area as a Supervisor in Lift Ticket Sales and Finance for six years. Kent and his family enjoyed the mountain experience, hiking, camping, downhill skiing, and being part of the skiing community until 2010, when he and his wife returned to their home in Coronado, CA.
Kent is survived by sons Kent DeWayne and Christopher Harding, grandchildren Todd, Jr., Cassidy, Christine, Kalani, Cheyenne, and Kai, and his brother Dr. Franklin Curl (Linda) of Vancouver, WA. He was predeceased by his youngest brother, Dean Curl of Port Charlotte, FL, his eldest sister, JoAnne Curl Forbes, his wife, Shirley Magden Curl, and his youngest son, Todd Robert Curl.
https://www.coronadonewsca.com/obituaries/commander-kent-wayne-curl-usn-ret/article_279c8e48-bebb-4f3e-b034-f60f5a82f0a9.html