Brent “Burt” William Kaiser was born on February 3rd 1967, in San Gabriel, California to Sandra Lee Stender and Bill Kaiser. Brent spent most of his childhood in Washington State with his mother and Stepfather Michael Goodhew where he graduated from Snohomish High School in 1985. He would spend his summers in Stockton, California with his father Bill and stepmother Ceclie Kaiser.
In 1997 Brent started working for the Forest Service on the Stanislaus Hotshots and in the next year moved permanently to Tuolumne County. In 2005, Brent married Jody Artzer, and they had 2 children, Ella Kaiser in 2006 and Madison Kaiser in 2009.
Brent dedicated 27 years to wildland fire service with the US Forest Service on the Stanislaus National Forest. He started his career and spent the first 4 years on the Stanislaus Hotshots. Brent then advanced to Captain of the Summit Fire Use Module, Crew 3, before promoting to Battalion Chief on the Summit Ranger District where he stayed until retiring in 2024. Throughout his career he mentored engine crews, patrols and hand crews. After retirement he continued serving as Safety Officer on his Incident Management Team and as a single resource to support wildland fire throughout the country.
Brent was not only committed to his job but was proud of every certification and promotion he attained while working alongside his Forestry Family that he cherished so much. He would often send family and friends photos of the amazing threat the fires that he fought posed along with the grandeur of the landscape he protected. He was proud to work for the Forest Service and loved every minute of it, even after retirement.
His biggest pride, however, was his two daughters’ Ella (19) and Madison (16). He loved nothing more than being a father. Brent actively and enthusiastically supported them throughout their school years on field trips and in their many sports and activities. His excitement came when he could teach them everything he knew about backcountry hiking and camping and was elated when they were finally able to go on the yearly backpacking trip to Bull Lake, which was a long childhood and adult tradition of his. Brent’s favorite time of year was Christmas and Halloween where he could hang lights like Clark Griswold and create Halloween displays for his girls and all their friends, a tradition he inherited from his mother Sandy.
Brent was the life of the party. He was always sociable, smiling, laughing and joking. If you asked him, he would show up. Brent was intentional about prioritizing time with his family and friends and was the first to plan a hike, a dinner or a party. He used these events to show off his favorite cooking methods. He was a dreamer of big ideas and big adventures.
In addition to his daughters Ella and Madison, Brent is survived by his ex-wife Jody Kaiser, father Bill and stepmother Cecile Kaiser, stepparents Michael and Kathleen Goodhew, his brothers and sisters Lance Kaiser, Ian Goodhew, Erick Goodhew, Jared Kaiser, Scott Kaiser, Ashlee Barker and Cortney Timmering, uncle and aunt Alan and Erin Stender, uncle and aunt Curtis and Susan Hunt, aunt Connie Way, and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Memorial Service will be held at Sierra Bible Church on Saturday March 21st at 11am, 15171 Tuolumne Road in Sonora, CA. A celebration of Brent’s life will then take place at the Elk’s Lodge immediately after the service, 100 Elk Drive, Sonora CA. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in honor of Brent Kaiser’s name to the Sonora Area Foundation to provide scholarships to high school students entering into Forestry related career paths.
