Sandra Lee Kemp

Sandra Lee Kemp January 27 1941 — September 24, 2024 Sandra Lee Kemp, 83, passed away on September 24, 2024 in Mansfield, Texas.
 In her own words, Sandy didn’t play games; she researched. An avid reader, lover of history, and dedicated student long past graduation, she agreed with Cicero that “a room without books is like a body without a soul.” Every chair had a stack next to it along with paper and pens for note-taking. Her daughters, son-in-laws and grandchildren are inheriting her ample library of history, art and reference books. She loved clocks and books equally, but chocolate or Italian cream cake from good bakeries beat everything. In recent years, her collecting had taken quite the turn beginning with Department 56 houses, then character jugs, Disney figurines (she was in her Minnie Mouse era) and finally gnomes. Sandy met the love her her life, Ralph, when she was serving in the Air Force. They married and returned to Texas to complete college degrees on the GI Bill. Sandy completed her Bachelors and Masters degrees and then worked for Arlington ISD as a middle school history teacher for many years. Ralph graduated from Baylor University and worked in the Savings and Loan industry. Being mainly a Western movies and audiobooks man himself, Ralph left most of the bookshelf space to her, for which she loved him dearly. They loved to watch Blue Bloods together and Ralph made sure to tape every PBS history special for Sandy. She missed him every day after he passed. She loved her daughters, who inherited her strength and rationality as well as her zest for list making and of course books. She loved her son-in-laws for loving and caring for her daughters in incredible ways. And she loved her grandkids, having given them the gift of incredible memories and a passion for all the books and learning. Sandy was preceded in death by her husband Ralph Kemp, her mom Barbara Turbak, and her dear step-dad Tom Turbak.

Survivors include her daughters Laura Andersen and her husband John, Julie Moore and her husband Michael, and two grandchildren Zoe Andersen and Beathan Andersen. 
Sandy loved borrowing books from the library and so memorials may be made in her name to the library of your choice or 

Mansfield Public Library 104 Wisteria St Mansfield, Texas 76063 https://www.mansfieldtexas.gov/414/Donations or 
The Friends of the Burleson Public Library 
c/o Burleson Public Library 
248 SW Johnson Avenue 
Burleson, TX 76028-4296 
Ph: 817-426-9210 

Online donations can be made at: https://www.burlesontx.com/211/Friends-of-the-Library