Jean Patricia Kempf

Jean Patricia Taylor Kempf died peacefully in her sleep on May 19, 2012 at her home in San Francisco, CA. Jean was born January 29, 1932 in San Francisco to Margaret and George Taylor. She is survived by two daughters, Nancy Kempf and Susan Badr and four grandchildren: Jennifer, Alana, Kayla and Cameron. She is predeceased in death by her husband, William A. Kempf and her son, William G. Kempf.Jean went to George Washington High School in San Francisco. Upon graduating from high school she worked for Pacific Bell Company before she married William. They moved to Salinas, California so William could begin a career at Soledad Correctional Facility. They lived in Salinas for 19 years, raising three children. They then moved to Sacramento after William took an administrative job for the Department of Corrections. During those years Jean worked in retail sales. Jean resided in Sacramento for 25 years before returning to San Francisco to live in the home she grew up in.Jean quickly became involved in many civic and community organizations in San Francisco. A partial list of those organizations she volunteered for include: The Senior Action Network, The San Francisco Organizing Project, The Planning Association for the Richmond District, The Richmond Community Police Board and the Muni Accessibility Advisory Committee (MAAC).Jean was an avid gardener and maintained a beautiful garden of flowers. She would spend many hours working in her garden. Her garden provides a lively burst of color and fragrance for those fortunate to live close by to enjoy it. Jean also loved to cook and bake. It was not uncommon for her to bake dozens of cookies and other treats around the holidays and all throughout the year and give them away to family and friends.Jean was interested in other cultures and had the opportunity to travel and explore distant parts of the world firsthand. Although she enjoyed travel to many destinations she was a supporter of local culture including the San Francisco Historical Society and the California Academy of Sciences. Jean's generous spirit and warm nature will be missed by all who knew her. She had a way of taking people in and making them feel welcome and feel comfortable. She always made time to listen to the stories people wanted to share with her. Jean seemed to never stop thinking about other people and how she could help them.A celebration of Jean's life will take place August 5, 2012 from 2pm to 4 pm in Oakland at Lakeside Park Garden Center (at Lake Merritt) 666 Bellevue Ave. 94610.In lieu of flowers donations can be made in Jean's memory to The Institute on Aging, www.ioaging.org/ 3575 Geary Blvd.; San Francisco, CA. 94118 or Shriner's Hospitals for Children www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/.