Vernon C. “Vern” Kempton, 92, formerly of Tekonsha, passed away Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at Birch Meadows AFC in Three Rivers surrounded by his family.
A celebration of Vern’s life will be held at 12:00 Noon on Monday, March 29, 2021 at Lighthouse Funeral and Cremation in Union City, with Pastor Douglas Kempton of Grace Community Church in Detroit officiating.
Interment with military honors will follow at Riverside Cemetery in Tekonsha. Visitation will be held from 11:00 a.m.-12 noon, just prior to the funeral, Monday, March 29, also at Lighthouse Funeral and Cremation in Union City.
Vern was born on February 28, 1929 in Girard Township, Michigan to Orson and Ethel (Doolittle) Kempton. He graduated from Homer High School in 1946 and served in U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. On November 7, 1953, he married the former Alice Seadorf in Vicksburg at her parents’ home. The couple celebrated their 67th anniversary last fall.
Vern was a skilled tool and die maker who founded Anchor Engraving, Inc. in Florida and merged it into Marking Machine in Tekonsha in 1974 when he moved back to Michigan. He also co-owned Kempton’s Country Classics with his wife for many years.
The couple served as youth leaders at the First Baptist Church of Tekonsha and Vern was also a lay minister. He and Alice attended Riverside Church in Three Rivers in their later years. Vern was a member of the Tekonsha Lions Club and enjoyed hunting, fishing, woodworking and gardening, as well as doing crossword and jigsaw puzzles. Vern whistled all the time. If you looked up “strong silent type” in the dictionary, a picture of him was sure to appear.
Surviving are his children, Daniel (Bonnie) Kempton of Union City, Deborah (Carl) Bowers of Jones, Dawn Copas of Tekonsha, David Kempton of Boonesboro, MD, Denise (Steven) Lawhead of Boonesboro, MD and Douglas (Meg) Kempton of Detroit; 16 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren; two great-great grandchildren; and a brother, Alvin Kempton, of Tekonsha.
Vern was preceded in death by his parents; his wife Alice Kempton; a stillborn son (1954); a son-in-law, Alan Copas; brothers, Kenneth Kempton and Asa Kempton; and sisters, Janie Smith and Alva Kempton.
Memorial donations are suggested to the Tekonsha Lions Club, PO Box 137, Tekonsha, MI 49092.
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