Marie Teresa Kemp, beloved mother of Steven Kemp and Harriet Grant, passed away peacefully on December 31, 2025, at Community Medical Center in Toms River, New Jersey. She was 96.

Marie was born at her family home in Camden, New Jersey, to Harry E. Timby and Mary Timby. She attended Saint Joan of Arc Roman Catholic Church with her family. They later moved to Trenton, where Marie graduated from Cathedral High School in 1947.

She shared stories of her parents teaching her to play poker as a teenager. Her father once invited her to join his regular poker night with friends—a game she won handily. She was promptly banned from poker night after that fateful night. Marie was also an avid sewer, making her own dresses and dreaming of becoming the next Edith Head.

After high school, Marie enjoyed attending local dances with her friends. It was at one of these dances that she met her future husband, Albert Kemp. Albert later recalled that it was an election year and Marie was wearing a homemade dress printed with elephants and donkeys. He fell for her immediately. They were married on June 30, 1950, at St. Mary's Cathedral in Trenton, NJ.

Together, Marie and Albert raised three children—Albert, Steven, and Harriet. The family lived in Maryland for many years before moving to Medford, New Jersey, in 1970.

Marie loved to entertain and spent countless hours in the kitchen during the holidays, baking pies and preparing generous meals for extended family gatherings. Her New Year's Eve parties were the stuff of legend, with Marie entertaining the entire neighborhood into the wee hours and serving breakfast to anyone still awake. She also loved playing bridge and frequently hosted long evenings where the cards took a back seat to laughter and conversation.

Her children remember her as a caring mother whose strength and steady presence carried them through both good times and difficult ones. She had a remarkable head for numbers, kept the family finances in meticulous order, and managed a household of three children while her husband was away during the week for his work as a traveling salesman. She was the glue that held the family together.

When her children were grown, Marie and Albert moved to Marlton, New Jersey and later retired to Vincentown, New Jersey. Following Albert's passing in 2016, Marie settled in Whiting, New Jersey, in 2018.

Marie was predeceased by her beloved husband, Albert H. Kemp; her son, Albert Kemp; and her sister, Jeanne Hager. She is survived by her children, Steven Kemp of Naples, Florida, and his wife, Adrienne, and Harriet Grant of Glendale, California, and her husband, Peter; her grandson, Kevin M. Kemp of Brooklyn, New York and his wife, Alexa; and her brother, Robert Timby of Austin, Texas and his wife Bonnie.

Marie will be interred with her husband and son at Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery in Wrightstown, New Jersey. The family will hold a private service.

In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Deborah Heart and Lung Center in memory of Marie Kemp would be appreciated. To make a donation go to https://www.deborahfoundation.org/donate/