Paul Robert Kemp, Jr.

July 17, 1928 - November 15, 2017

Dedicated family man, loving husband, passionate local philanthropist and a friend to all, Paul Kemp passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of November 15th, 2017. His wife, two children, five grandchildren and broad extended family cherished his keen sense of humor, enchanting storytelling, contagious appetite for learning, insatiable desire for travel, and deep love of family.

The oldest of four boys born to Francis and Paul Kemp Sr., Paul grew up in Los Angeles next to the early Hollywood studios and became captivated by movies, radio, and entertainment technology and personalities. A self-proclaimed “nerd before there were nerds,” young Paul worked at Decca Records and was disk jockey at Hollywood High, graduating in 1946. He graduated from the University of Southern California, where he met and later married Shirley Davies, to which his two children were born. Paul met and married the love of the rest of his life, Nancy Kemp, in 1965.

Paul enjoyed a long career as a sales executive in defense and technology industries at such companies as Northrop, Nortronics, Lear-Siegler, and Symbol Technologies. In 1996, Paul and Nancy retired in Fort Bragg, California in the home of their dreams on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Paul immersed himself in charitable endeavors, initially with Habitat for Humanity and later co-founding and serving as President of the Mendocino Film Festival, which he loved with all his heart. In his later years, Paul was happiest sitting on his back deck with his loving wife watching whales and wildlife, spending time with family and friends, engaged in a hardy debate with his book club, or giving back to his beloved community in Fort Bragg and Mendocino.

A memorial service is being planned in Fort Bragg sometime during February, 2018.