Ann Marie Berry Kemp died Friday, Feb. 20, 2015, at a hospice facility near her home in Tarpon Springs, Fla.
Ann Marie Berry Kemp was born to George and Marguerite Rosenau Berry on May 19, 1938, in Moscow, and spent her early childhood in Genesee. She graduated from Lewiston High School in 1956 and then attended the University of Idaho. While at the university in 1958, she was elected the first Miss University of Idaho and won a number of other beauty and talent contests during that period. Subsequently, she participated in the Miss Idaho event that is part of the Miss America contest.
After her marriage, she became the mother of two sons, Mark and Daniel Worsley. Upon her subsequent marriage to John Kemp, she became a stepmother to three additional boys, John W., Tom and Brian Kemp. As time progressed, she became a beloved grandmother to 11 grandchildren. They are Haley Worsley, William, Eileen, Bob, Mary Kate, Jolie, Griffin, Ella, Whitney, Kendall, and Brendan Kemp.
Ann Marie was a renaissance woman. She was a skilled artist, an award-winning author of short stories, an accomplished and creative cook, a "green-thumbed" gardener, a great hostess, a determined handyperson and a successful real estate broker. She had a stunning sense of style in everything she did and touched, and she had, as many have observed, the persona of an Auntie Mame - to the great delight and enjoyment of her friends and family.
Ann Marie is survived by her husband, John; sons Dan (Maria), John W. (Anne), Tom (Suman), and Brian (Michelle); brother Ron (Janene) Berry; sister-in-law Doris Berry; her 11 grandchildren listed above; two nephews; two nieces; and three grandnieces.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her son, Mark Worsley; her brother, Kay L. Berry; and her nephew, Doug Berry.
Memorial services will be held at 10:30 a.m. March 14 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lewiston, with burial following at St. John's Lutheran Cemetery in Genesee. There will be a viewing of pictures beforehand at 9:30 a.m. at the church.
In lieu of flowers, if one wants to contribute in Ann Marie's honor, the family suggests people do a kind act for a person in need or contribute to a charity of one's choice.
