Nellie Opal Peery Kemp was born August 24, 1914 in Purcell, Okla. to Jeffie Grace and Albert Joshua Peery. Her mother passed away when she was one and her dad when she was four. Nellie was taken to live with relatives when her parents died. She grew up in Purcell where she married her high school sweetheart, Carl Woodrow Kemp on September 20, 1933. They moved to Texas soon after the marriage. The couple had four children; daughters Patricia and Sybil and sons Larry and Carl Jr. The Kemp’s lived in Cleburne, Texas for 60 years. Nellie was a housewife most of those years but worked in the retail business and retired from Zimmerman’s Auto Parts in 1982. Mrs. Kemp was a member of First Baptist Church for 60 years and was the Junior Department Director for 20 of those years. She helped organize the first GA’s in that church. In 1999 the couple moved to Malakoff to be near their daughter Sybil. Mrs. Kemp was a member of Faith Community Baptist Church where she was a faithful member until she moved to Cedar Lake Nursing Home in 2012.
She will be missed by the family she so lovingly took care of for so many years. We will miss her cooking, loving care, and ever present smile. But she left us with an example of what a mother and grandmother should be and a memory of her strong faith in God.
She is preceded in death by her husband Woody of 74 years, daughter Patricia and son Larry.
The family would like to thank the staff of Cedar Lake for their care of Nellie these last few years. She was very happy there. We would also like to acknowledge her caregiver for seven years, Sarah. Nellie loved much and was much loved by all who came in contact with her.
She is survived by daughter Sybil and husband Dale of Malakoff, son Woody and wife Becky of Grand Prairie and seven grandchildren Rick Carney, Renea Carney, and Nikki McDaniels, Chris Norris, Billy Norris, Jeremy Jones, and Amber Bosher and fourteen great-grandchildren, Jessica Carney, Patrick Carney, John Gilmore, Jake Gilmore, Chance Wilson, Chani Wilson, Heidi Norris, Harry Norris, Kemp Norris, William Norris, Adrian Norris, Landry Norris, Mason Bosher, and Tucker Bosher and one great-great grandchild Dylan Gilmore and many nieces and nephews and friends.
Serving as pallbearers are John Gilmore, Jake Gilmore, Chance Wilson, Patrick Carney, Jeremy Jones, Jeff Bosher.
Honorary pallbearers are Rick Carney, Richard McDaniels Chris Norris, Billy Norris, James Bass, and Kemp Norris.
Visitation will be Thursday, January 16 from 6-8 PM at Huckabee-Tomlinson Funeral Home in Malakoff.
Service will be Friday at 11 a.m., at Faith Community Baptist Church, Payne Springs with Bro. Dale Norris and Billy Norris officiating.