In Memory

Kathleen Cureton (Kemp)

Kathy Cureton Kemp was born July 17, 1956, in Monterey, and passed away November 14, 2022 in Easton, MD, after a long battle with cancer. Kathy attended Lighthouse Elementary, P.G.J.H.S. and P.G.H.S., and she graduated from the P.G. Community High School in 1974. She was very creative, and she expressed herself through painting, ceramics, and woodworking in her younger years. She loved hiking and backpacking and exploring wildlands; the rugged Big Sur coastline, Ventana Wilderness, and the mountains of Yosemite were some of her favorite places. She had an adventurous spirit. Shortly after high school she crewed a two-person sailboat from Monterey to Kodiak, Alaska, where she packed fish in a cannery for the summer. She received her Merchant Marine license there, and her first missions braved the rough waters of Alaska. Then Kathy made her home in Maryland, where she lived on her family’s farm and raised two children. Her vegetable gardens thrived under her care, and she generously shared her botanical expertise with friends. Kathy was always eager to learn about different cultures and far-away places. She trekked through remote regions of Sri Lanka in a dugout canoe, returning a second time to share the experience with her young family. Many years later, Kathy rekindled her wanderlust by rejoining the Merchant Marines, crewing ships that sailed throughout the world, including crossings of the Atlantic, North Pacific, and South Pacific. She delighted in exploring distant cities and ports-of-call on her bicycle. Kathy had great empathy and compassion for others, and she was passionate about nature and the environment. Kathy is survived by her daughter Sarah; grandchildren Alice and Louis; brothers Scott ‘70 and Russ ’73; and sister Jeanne ’76. She was preceded in death by her son Jake and her parents Betty and Curt.