Nancy Anderson Kemp

Nancy Anderson Kemp, 86, of Texarkana, Arkansas passed away peacefully on Saturday, November 4th, 2006, at the home of her son John Thomas and daughter-in-law Susan Lackey in Cleveland, Tennessee. Nancy was born in Texarkana, Texas on February 20, 1920, and except for brief intervals lived in Texarkana all of her life. She was a devoted member of Beech Street First Baptist Church for more than 66 years. In the final months of her life, Nancy lived in Cleveland. Nancy and her family enjoyed the love and support of friends and the community in ways too numerous to fully account, but we particularly want to thank the members and staff of Broad Street United Methodist Church; Dr. Sylvia Krueger and her staff; Dr. Lisa Virostek and her staff; Dr. William May; Dr. Erik Jansen; Guardian Home Health Care; and Bradley Hospice Services. Nancy?s life is a shining example of rock-solid faith and reverence for God, unwavering love and dedication to her family, and fidelity to her principles. A remarkably beautiful woman, both in her youth and through her later years, she remained as uninterested in her own beauty as she was steeped in the beauty of God?s world. She studied art after her retirement, and became a prize-winning painter in oils and a prolific producer of stained-glass windows, which graced her home, her husband?s medical office, and the homes of her children and friends. She married Dr. Karlton H. Kemp of Texarkana, in 1966 and enjoyed 29 years of marriage to him until his passing. She and Karlton shared broad interests and high enthusiasm for those interests, and they travelled the world together. Nancy had a rich and rewarding professional life. She worked at Southern Clinic of Texarkana from 1950 to 1971, and was manager of the clinic when she retired. She worked actively in her husband?s medical office during her retirement. She was a member of the Medical Group Management Association, and is a past president of the Miller-Bowie Medical Auxiliary. She also worked for the Southern Pine Lumber Company along with her father, for Schlumberger, and for the Southern Pacific Railroad Hospital. She maintained an active interest in local government and politics. In 1969, she ran for the position of Delegate to the Arkansas Constitutional Convention, District 22. When faced with a formidable opponent in her final illness, Nancy responded in her typically fearless fashion, attacking the disease with the best medical science available, and drawing on her faith-based courage. Nancy was preceded in death by her husband and by her parents, Prince Minor and Vera Adams Anderson, two brothers, Joe Anderson and Jack Anderson, and one sister, Ruth Anderson Smith. She is survived by her brother, Angus A. Anderson of Houston, Texas; by her son and the stepchildren she loved so dearly; Dr. Katherine I. Kemp and husband, Allen Kibler, of Houston, Texas; Marcia Kemp Sterling and husband, Nathaniel, of Palo Alto, California; John F. Thomas and wife, Susan Lackey, of Cleveland, Tennessee; Susan Kemp Mackey and husband, David, of Houston, Texas; Louisa Kemp Dye and husband, Scott, of Omaha, Nebraska; Karlton H. Kemp, Jr. and wife, Rosanna, of Texarkana, Arkansas; and Carol Kemp Allen and husband, Donald, of Seattle, Washington. She is survived by 24 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren, and many nephews and nieces, their families, and her friends. The funeral service will be held at 2:00 pm Saturday, November 11th, at Beech Street First Baptist Church, 601 Beech Street, Texarkana, Arkansas 71854. Ralph Buckner Funeral Home is in charge of local arrangements.