Kent Ertel St. John

Kent Ertel St. John
COTTEKILL- Kent Ertel St. John of Cottekill Road, Cottekill, died at his home on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012, after a long battle with cancer. Born in Kingston on Aug. 7, 1955, he is the son of Phyllis St. John of Kingston and the late Howard C. St. John.
He was a travel writer, photographer, and Senior Travel Editor for GoNomad.com. Tributes from travel journalists around the globe are expressing their admiration and the privilege to have known and worked with him. 'He never met a destination he didn't like.'
Kent had a travel column in the Lincoln Eagle and wrote for publications such as the Hartford Courant, Valley Advocate, Preview Magazine, and Transitions Abroad. His stories have also appeared in the Traveler's Tales book series. His blog, 'Be Our Guest,' was nominated by Frommer's as one of the top 100 travel blogs. A frequent radio correspondent for Around The World Radio and Travel Planners Radio, he also contributed for Travel International, MSNBC, Travel Video Television, and SoGoNow.com. He has traveled to over 100 countries, and his travel these past three years has centered on photography from the mountains of Ethiopia and jungles of Papua, New Guinea to the Hudson Valley. His photographs have appeared in Travel and Leisure, the Lincoln Eagle, Preview Magazine, and many galleries on GoNOMAD. Most recently, he had a photography show at Family Traditions in Stone Ridge. A member of the North American Travel Journalist Association, Kent was currently working on a book titled 'Be Our Guest.'
Affectionately known as 'Duke' he inspired everyone to 'love the now.' Kent is survived by his mother, Phyllis St. John of Kingston; his wife, Lisa St. John of Cottekill; son, Chauncey St. John of Albany; two sisters, Victoria St. John-Gilligan of Kingston and Ellen Bond of Hurley; nieces, Kourtney Fall, Tiffany Dockery, Audra LeBlanc; nephews, Drew Gilligan, Blake Bond, Erik LeBlanc, Derrick Thompson, Eli Bresnick; and three grandnieces.
Cremation and memorial arrangements are under the guidance of Joseph V. Leahy Funeral Home, Inc., 27 Smith Avenue, Kingston. www.jvleahyfh.com
A private family service was held at the funeral home. A celebratory memorial will take place on Aug. 7, 2013, time and location to be announced. Expressions of sympathy may be made in the form of contributions to The Hospice Foundation, 374 Violet Avenue, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., 12601 or The American Cancer Society.