Barbara " Bonnie" Ellen Kemp

April 29, 1943 – September 23, 2026

Barbara Ellen Fessenden Kemp, affectionately known to nearly everyone as “Meme,” passed away on September 23, 2026, at the age of 83.Born on April 29, 1943, at Fort Bragg North Carolina, Bonnie was raised in Georgia before making her home in California, where she lived in the South Bay.To call Bonnie simply a mother, grandmother, or great-grandmother would not fully capture who she was. Bonnie was everybody’s Meme. She had a gift for welcoming people in, caring for them, loving them, and making them feel like family. She was loving, generous, kind, and endlessly caring. Whenever someone needed something, Bonnie was there to help. She cared for the people she loved fiercely and wholeheartedly—sometimes to a fault—and there was very little she would not do for her family.Family was at the center of Bonnie's life. She loved babies, family get-togethers, flowers, music, movies, ice cream, coffee, Diet Coke, and ice. Most of all, she cherished spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and watching them grow.Bonnie spent her career in customer service, ultimately retiring as Managing Director of Departments Staff at CAF. Her natural ability to care for people extended well beyond her family and into her professional life.She was also deeply proud of her family’s military service. Her beloved husband, Benjamin Kemp, served in the United States Army; her son, Tom, is an Army veteran, and her grandson, Jacob, is a Navy veteran. Bonnie was an auxiliary member and took tremendous pride in all those who served.Bonnie was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Benjamin Kemp, who passed away on June 21, 1998, and her daughter, Karen, who passed away on April 23, 2000.She leaves behind her son, Thomas Kemp, and his wife, Kim Kemp; Daughter Maryanne and Kevin Renshaw; her grandchildren, Marly, Josiah, Jacob, Jonah, Abby, and Tommy; and her great-grandchildren, Logan, Millie, and Beau. She is also survived by her brother, Larkin Fessenden, and her sister, Virginia Cates, along with extended family and the many people who came to know and love her simply as Meme.There will never be another Meme. She loved her family with everything she had, and she was loved just as fiercely in return.