He was born May 16, 1924, in Springfield Township, Gallia County, the son of William Lowell and Ethel Lucy (Jackson) Kemper.
He was preceded in death by his brother, Edward Kemper, and sister, Mary Lane.
He is survived by his brother, Charles Kemper of Walterboro, S.C.; a half-brother, William Lowell (Junior) Kemper of Kerr; a half-sister, Janet Sue Miller of Kerr; and a half-sister, Frances Fay Secoy of Kerr.
He is also survived by his five children, Kenneth (and Caryl) Kemper of Granville, David (and Jackie) Kemper of Lansing, Mich., Barbara (and Roger) Nichols of Grove City, Charles “Buddy” (and Diane) Kemper of Tarpon Springs Fla., and Gary Kemper of Lee High Acres, Fla.; seven grandchildren; Todd Naille, Richard Kemper, Teresa Tingley, Aaron Kemper, Jason Nichols, Scott Nichols and Jessica Kemper; and six great-grandchildren, Laney Naille, Emma Naille, Carley Naille, Jackson Tingley, Zachary Nichols and Kevin Nichols.
Garland's passing will leave a void in the hearts and lives of family and friends who loved him.
Garland went to school at Bidwell-Porter High School in Bidwell. Garland joined the United States Navy on Oct. 22, 1942, and served in the Pacific Theater in Sydney, Australia, during World War II. He was honorably discharged from the Navy on Dec. 19, 1945.
He worked for the Blue Valley Creamery from 1945 until his enlistment in the United States Army on March 27, 1948. During his time in the Army, he was stationed at Sandia Army Base in New Mexico, Fort Belvoir in Virginia, three years at Camp Drake in Tokyo, Japan, one year in Korea, three years at Harbord Barracks installation in Olivet, France, one year in Tuy Hoa, Vietnam, a few months at Fort Meade Md., one year in Cam Rahn Bay, Vietnam, and his final years at Fort Sheridan, Ill.
Garland accrued a total of 48 months in combat time. The awards that he earned while in the Navy were the Navy Asiatic Pacific Medal, Philippine Liberation Medal and the American Theater of Victory Medal. The awards received while in the Army include the Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Medal, Six Good Conduct medals, Vietnam Campaign Medal with three campaign stars (DVC), and the Vietnam Service Medal with two overseas bars.
He retired from the United States Army on Dec. 17, 1969, with 26 years of combined military service.
After retiring from the military, he worked in the mid-1970s at Select Sires of Columbus. After he entered full retirement, he managed a LifeCare Alliance site for two years and received a certificate of appreciation for 2,281 hours of service. He also worked as a volunteer for the Southwestern City Schools by sitting on several district advisory committees, but his most dedicated service has been to the “Love and Affection Grandparents Program” at the Prairie Norton Elementary School, at which he served for 20 years.
It was said in a newspaper article about his volunteer service, “Kemper has five children (four sons and one daughter) who grew up while he had little time to give. Hence, he considers the time he spends in the Love and Affection program a way to pay back the time his career would not allow him to spend with his own children.”
He was a born-again Christian who read his Bible daily, and he regularly attended West Broad Church of the Nazarene.
There will be a viewing for friends and family on Sunday, Nov. 12, 2006, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. On Monday, Nov. 13, 2006, there will be a pre-service viewing from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The funeral service will be held at 12:30 at the Spence-Miller Funeral Home, 2697 Columbus St., Grove City. The interment will be at Franklin Hills Memorial Gardens in Canal Winchester.
The family wishes to thank Senior Independence Hospice for their loving care and service during his last days.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to Senior Independence Hospice, The Heart Fund or the American Cancer Society.
An online guestbook is available at www.spencemillerfuneralhome.com.
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