Memorial service set for longtime Springboro coach
Wayne Kemper, the longtime Springboro coach who died Sunday, will be remembered in a memorial visitation Thursday in the Springboro High School Commons.
Kemper died Sunday at home from natural causes. He was 71.
His memory helped motivate the Springboro girls basketball team to victory Monday in the Division I district semifinal against Centerville. The Panther girls rallied for a 53-50 victory at Troy High School.
“We found out the news about our coach passing yesterday and we knew it was going to be tough,” Springboro junior Jordan Hobbs said. “We had a team meeting and we knew we were going to play today. We knew it was going to be a super emotional night, but we had to do it for him. We played our hearts out. We know he is proud of us.”
A memorial visitation for Kemper will be from 5 to 8 p.m. at the school, 1675 S. Main St. (Ohio 741).
Kemper, a Springboro schools coach for over 40 years, was the current coach of the junior varsity girl’s high school basketball team.
Son of the late Jack (Hazel) Kemper and Opal Owens, he was born Sept. 14, 1948 in Corbin, Kentucky. He was married to Dianne (McClanahan), for 51 1/2 years.
He is survived by two children, Sean (Christine) and Stacie Moore (TJ), both of Springboro, and grandfather or “Pap” to Sean and Stacie’s children, Caden and Kinley.
He graduated from Springboro High School in 1967 and served in the U. S. Army for two years. He spent a year in Vietnam and was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge, Combat Air Assault Medal, National Defense Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Sharpshooter, Vietnam Service Medal and three Bronze Stars.
Kemper was a long-time member of the Middletown VFW and American Legion Post #218.
He worked for the United States Postal Service as a mail carrier in Middletown, retiring in 2013.
Kemper coached Springboro High School’s varsity girls track for 26 years and was a three-time Track Coach of the Year Award recipient.
He was in his 38th year as a girls basketball coach for Springboro High School. “Coach Kink,” as he was known for his curly hair, won over 400 games and was awarded the State of Ohio Assistant Coach of the Year in 2014-2015.
Kemper was preceded in death by his sister Sharon Steele and twin brother Wendell Kemper. He leaves behind brother, Jack Kemper of Dayton, and sisters Karen Kemper and Joyce Bryant of Hillsboro.
Donations in his memory may be made to the Wayne Kemper Scholarship Fund, Springboro Community Schools, 1685 S. Main St., Springboro.
A private service will be held at the convenience of the family.
Contact this reporter at 937-225-2261 or email Larry.Budd@cmg.com.