Willard Bill Kemp

January 6, 2017, at Rehabilitation Center of the Rockies.

He was born a poor Kansas farm boy on April 20, 1931 to Arthur Franklin Kemp and Mildred

Ruth Brown.

Willard was raised in Goodland, KS, and graduated from Sherman Community High School;

where he played football, basketball, and ran track with his brother, Willis, and good friend, Rich Barnett. This is where he also met his favorite cheerleader and future wife, Zita.

Willard graduated in 1949 and worked at his future father-in-law’s lumberyard. In 1951, he married Zita. They moved to Aurora, CO, and welcomed son, Randy, in 1953.

He joined the Air Force as a member of a B-29 flight crew. He became a special agent for the OSI (Organization of Special Investigation) of the Air Force, and was stationed in Guam. He came back to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Renee’ was born in 1959. He was then stationed in Guam a second time, and also at Chanute Air Base in Illinois, and Bangkok, Thailand, before changing services.

Bill entered the U.S. Army as a Chief Warrant officer, and investigator in the CID (Criminal Investigation Division) in 1966. He was stationed in Korea, the Presidio of San Francisco, Fort Riley in Kansas, and finally Okinawa, Japan. He Returned to the Pentagon in Washington D.C. as an I.G Inspector for the Army, and retired as a Warrant Officer III to Fort Collins in 1973.

He sold insurance and Real Estate for a few years, then went to work as a security supervisor for Hewlett Packard, retiring 15 years later. Having worn a black suit and tie for the better part of 25 years, it was hard for his family to get him to wear jeans, or something other than the suits, but he did finally succumb. He lived in Ft. Collins for his remaining years and was an avid CSU sports fan. He became affected by Alzheimer’s in 2009, and his health steadily declined after that.

Bill was a thoughtful, intelligent man, wonderful husband, father, grandfather, son and brother, and was a friend to everyone he ever met. He has left a hole in the world with his departure, and we that were close to him want him to know that we love him and will miss him every single day!

He was preceded in death by his wife of 64 years, Zita Denice Butts; his brother, Willis Kemp; and two sisters; Lois Dizmang and Ellen Burr.

He is survived by his children, Randy Kemp and wife, Shannon, of Berthoud, CO, and Renee’ Vanderwyk and husband, Barry, of Windsor, CO.; grandchildren, Brandy Tremblay and husband, Ken, of Ft. Collins, CO, Devin Kemp of Boise, ID, Chelsey Vanderwyk of Loveland, CO and Simone Benedict and husband, Joe of Charleston, SC.; his only great-grandchild, Kenny Tremblay IV of Fort Collins; a sister, Leona Shultz of Independence IA; and brother, Wayne Kemp of Plant City, FL.