Yvonne Kemp

On Friday, February 11, 2022, Yvonne L. Kemp, departed this life at Mercy Hospital in Oklahoma City.  Vonnie or “Grammy” to family and friends, began her journey in life September 9, 1937, in Uniontown Pennsylvania.  Her family moved to Pittsburgh, PA where she later graduated from Peabody High School.  She was married to the late Philip W. Kemp Sr. in 1958.  During the summer of 1959, their first child, Philip Jr. (Shawn) was born.  In 1964, the family moved to Minneapolis, MN and in 1967 their second child, Darcel (Darcie) was born.

Vonnie was a dancer and model in her youth.  She appeared in the popular publication Jet Magazine three times, advertisement adds in the local newspapers, and is in one photo in the historic African American newspaper, Pittsburgh Courier with legendary musician Ray Charles.  She worked as a supervisor in city government in Minneapolis, MN, and later as an Executive Assistant for CEO’s and Office Manager at multiple corporate organizations in Washington, DC.  She also worked part time in sales, at a department store, a job she loved, because she was the ultimate people person.  After retiring from the corporate world, she remained in Annandale, VA until moving to Atlanta, GA and lived with Darcie and Antonio for 7 ½ years and living the last 18 months of her life with Shawn and Sonya in Oklahoma.

As the saying goes, to know Vonnie was to love her. She was a beautiful and classy lady who saw the good in everyone she met.  She was always giving and doing for others.  We’ll miss the echoes of her favorite sayings, “I’m only trying to help” and

“Stay Safe”, her OCD and controlling tendencies, and having to repeatedly hear about the current gossip from the “Wendy Williams Show”.  She dedicated her life to her kids and grandchildren, they meant everything to her.  She will be greatly missed. 

Vonnie was preceded in death by her husband Philip Kemp Sr, her mother, Kay Jones, brother Sam Jones Jr., and niece Nikkole D. Jones.  She is survived by her son Philip (Shawn) Kemp, Jr. (Sonya), daughter, Darcel (Darcie) Kemp (Antonio), her three grandchildren, Philip Kemp, III, Shaynah Kemp, and Brianna Ivey, her two aunts, Joan Turner, Betty Lou Crews, uncle Albert Tompkins, and nephew Samuel Jones, Jr. and nieces Ambyr Jones and Alexyz Jones-Bennett, and a host of cousins and family members.

IN APPRECIATION

For all who have shown our family so much love and compassion for our tremendous loss, and to all who have given words of encouragement, prayer, and thoughtful gifts, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Shawn and Darcie