Kent Thorlief Solem died peacefully on April 16, 2004 at the Brookings Hospital of chronic lung disease. Funeral services will be 10:30 A.M Wed., April 21 at Lake Campbell Lutheran Church at Lake Campbell, Brookings, SD, with interment in Lake Campbell Lutheran Cemetery, rural Lake Campbell, Brookings, SD. Visitations will be from 5-8 P.M. Tues. at Eidsness Funeral Home in Brookings, SD. Kent was born May 6, 1936 to Faye (Juve) and Loyd Solem at Dell Rapids, SD. When he was nine months old, his father passed away, leaving his young mother with four children. Kent and his sisters grew up with the attitude that you could accomplish anything, if you really worked for it. As a young boy, he started working and staying at the Phil and Alma Peterson farm south of Bruce, which became his second home and family. He went to school in Bruce, SD and graduated from Bruce High School in 1954. He then attended General Beadle College in Madison, SD for four years. At age 24, Kent lived in Spokane, WA and became involved in Alcoholics Anonymous. Throughout the rest of his life helping others was his passion, and he helped hundreds of people reclaim their life. In 1963 he married Darla Whiting. They had two children, Linnea and Mark. They lived in Seattle, WA until 1974, when they moved back to the Brookings area. In 1975, Kent became the Director of the Brookings Area Alcohol Drug Referral Center. During the 1970s, Kent was active with many legislative activities to help fund alcohol centers. He was the founding president of the South Dakota Chemical Dependency Association for counselors. In 1981 Kent married LouAnn Jensen in Seattle, WA, where they both worked at community alcohol centers. He was director of Eastside Alcohol Center in Bellevue, WA until 1983, when they moved to Sioux Falls and started First Step Counseling Services, a private center for alcohol and drug treatment, which, along with a satellite office in Brookings, is still active today. In 1993 the Solems moved to their home at Lake Campbell where they became members of Lake Campbell Lutheran Church. Kent struggled with health problems but always remained positive and continued his can do attitude. Kent will be remembered for his eternal optimism, his story telling and his ability to help others look for solutions to their problems. Kent leaves behind his wife LouAnn, two children, Linnea Solem of Maplewood, MN, Mark (Susan) Solem of Victoria, MN; three step children, Kristine (Mike) Pierce of Los Gatos, CA, Robert (Natalie) Jensen and Michael (Joy) Jensen of Brookings; daughter-in-law, Tamara Englund of Sioux Falls, six grandchildren, Zachary (Amanda) Englund and Charles Jensen of Sioux Falls, Joseph Pierce of Los Gatos, CA, Mathew, Emily and Olivia Jensen of Brookings, a great grandson, Caden, of Sioux Falls; three sisters, Marilyn (Jerry) Thomas and Ardis Mewborne of Lake Havasu City, AZ and Loyla Christian of Sacramento, CA.; special sisters, Mavis Peterson of Bruce and Pat Nelson of Beresford; sister-in-law, Nancy (Kelly) Kammerer of Provence, France, brother-in-law, Tom (Rose) Davis of Brookings; many nieces and nephews. Kent looked forward to the arrival of two grandchildren and one great grandchild later this year. He was preceded in death by his parents Loyd and Faye Solem, parents- in- law Wilmer and Adele Davis and stepson Randy Jensen.