Obituary for Colonel Terry Kemp Colonel Terry Shaw Kemp, US Air Force Retired, 78, of Wrightsville, died peacefully on Friday, April 20, 2018. Born in Johnson City, NY on March 18, 1940, he was the son of the late Russell and Edna (Pipher) Kemp. He was married to May (Simpson) Kemp, formerly of Dublin, Ireland and Yonkers, NY for over 55 very happy years.
Terry graduated from Clarkson University with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. While at Clarkson, he served as the President of Zeta Nu Fraternity, Co-Captain of the Soccer team, and a representative to the Intra Fraternity Council. He also later received a Master’s Degree in Human Re Management from the University of Utah.
He went on to join the US Air Force, serving his country for 30 years until his retirement as a Colonel. During that time he was a graduate of Squadron Officers School, Air Command and Staff College, and Air War College. Terry was an Aircraft Maintenance Officer and Logistician whose experience and duties spanned a diverse number of logistical assignments and numerous aircraft types.
He started his career as an instructor in the Maintenance Officer Course at Chanute AFB. He was sent to Da Nang AFB working with the C-47 aircraft performing classified missions. He returned from Vietnam to Dover AFB, then was assigned to Goose Bay Air Base, Labrador, Canada.
Next he returned to Bien Hoa AFB in Vietnam, serving as the Maintenance Control Officer for the 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing. He worked in the Pentagon with the National Guard Bureau managing the F/RF-4, F/RF-101, F-102, and F-106 Fighter Maintenance Programs. As Commander for the 513th Field Maintenance Squadron at RAF Mildenhall, England he was awarded the 3rd Air Force Outstanding Senior Management Officer of Aircraft Maintenance.
While assigned as an Asst. Deputy Commander for Aircraft Maintenance to the Presidential Wing at Andrews AFB, he was selected to serve as a Military Aide to Governor Richard Thornburgh of Pennsylvania for President Reagan’s inauguration in 1981. His next duty assignment took him to California to serve as Deputy Commander of Logistics at McClellan AFB for the 41st Rescue, Weather, Reconnaissance Wing, with almost 1900 people in 10 squadrons, 11 detachments, and 2 operating locations at 20 installations spanning 13 time zones.
His final assignments were as Director of Maintenance Engineering at 21st Air Force, Deputy Commander of Re Management, and Director of Quality Management at the 438th Airlift Wing at McGuire AFB. His military decorations include The Legion of Merit, The Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Force Commendation Medal, AF Outstanding Unit Award, National Defense Service Medal W/Bronze Star, Viet Nam Service Medal W/ 4 Bronze Stars, AF Overseas Short Tour Ribbon; Overseas Long Tour Ribbon w/ 1 0ak Leaf Cluster. Following his retirement from the military Terry worked for the Keane Company as a consultant to the US Drug Enforcement Agency and received many commendations for his outstanding work and support.
Terry was also heavily involved in the civilian communities in which he lived. Terry was the recipient of the Eagle Scout Award and the God and Country Award as a child and spent over 56 years in different communities serving as a leader in the Boy Scouts of America. He grew up in the United Methodist Church and served in many Churches as a Sunday school teacher, lay reader, Elder, Chairman of a community based/ Church run Preschool, and finally as chairman of the Administrative Committee at Zion United Methodist Church in East Prospect where he was a devoted member.
Locally, Terry continued serving his community in multiple ways. He was a member and past President for two terms of the East Prospect Lions’ Club. He was named as a Melvin Jones Fellow for his dedicated humanitarian service.
He enjoyed helping with many other community projects, especially on East Prospect’s Annual Memorial Day Parade Committee, once being the Grand Marshall and speaker. Despite his many achievements he was a very humble person, always giving credit to others for the job well done. His motto for his people was “Typically Superior”, his pleasant and friendly personality, and dry sense of humor made him a good friend to many.
As a leader, he never asked anyone to do anything that he wouldn’t do himself. His greatest legacy was as a mentor to the many people that he worked with. He also loved playing Santa for the neighborhood children and Handicapped children at his son, Kevin’s residential home and the Turin, NY ARC School.
In addition to his wife May, Terry is survived by his much loved sons and grandchildren: Kevin Kemp of Port Leyden, NY; Brian Kemp, and his wife, Lynne, and their children Trista and Bridget Kemp of Rancho Pales Verde, CA; and Darren T. Kemp and his children Casey, Kylie, and Caeden Kemp of Dallastown. A funeral service to celebrate Terry’s life will be held on Saturday, April 28, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. at Zion United Methodist Church, 1 North Main Street, East Prospect, PA 17368 with the Reverend Albert Horst officiating. There will be a viewing at the church on Saturday from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Internment and Military Honors will follow at a later date in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA.
We wish to express our deepest appreciation to Dr. Emir Tabatabai and the wonderful caring and very professional staff at York Cancer Care who treated Terry for the many years he battled Multiple Myeloma. If Terry had a choice in writing this obituary, it would have been less than a paragraph long. His wife had the last word and that was because he had no say in it!
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The York County Veterans in Need Fund, c/o Terry Gendron, Director, York County Veterans Affairs, 28 East Market Street, York, PA 17401 or to a charity of your choice. Arrangements by the Etzweiler Funeral Homes and Cremation Service, 1111 E. Market St., York, PA 17403.
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