Rita​ “Yvonne” Y.​ Kemp passed away on Tuesday, April 29, 2014, at her home on Bainbridge Island. ​

She was born on April 21, 1927 in Regina, Canada.

For 25 years, Yvonne was married to Glenn E. Kemp, a U.S. Naval Officer, and lived in many places all over the world, including a tour in Italy.

Following her travels as a Navy wife, Yvonne was a partner in an exclusive women’s clothing boutique in Atlantic Beach, Florida. She was a talented retail manager in the Atlanta area and a senior buyer at the University of Regina Bookstore for many years until retiring.

Yvonne had a special flair for fashion. She always looked great and enjoyed expressing herself through her sense of style.

Her artistic side blossomed when she discovered painting. She loved to create beautiful, serene scenes in acrylic and water colors, and especially enjoyed painting flowers of all kinds. Common in her compositions was a pathway or a meandering stream that drew the viewer into the painted world of her imagination.​ She always painted original birthday cards for her friends and family, rarely forgetting a birthday, even when her health made it challenging to complete her projects.

Yvonne was also a gourmet cook and an expert hostess. She truly enjoyed cooking as a way to delight the senses and bring people together. She always added her own expert touches to everything from appetizers to desserts. Yvonne was also a voracious reader and a fierce duplicate bridge competitor. Her special flair for life will be truly missed.

She is survived by her children; RADM (ret.) Curtis Allen Kemp, USN of Leesburg, Virginia and Laura Michelle Kemp of Poulsbo. She also leaves behind her sister Shirley Smith of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, grandson Lt. Ian Alexander Kemp – USN, granddaughter Casey Ann Slaughter and great-grandchildren Wren, Camden and Trace. There are also many loving nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.

Yvonne was preceded in death by her brothers – Bill and Doug Prizeman, and her sister, Audrey Greenway of Bainbridge Island.

Family and friends are respectfully invited to attend the Memorial Service at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 7 at Eagle Harbor Congregational Church on Bainbridge Island.

Memorial contributions can be made to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Avenue North, PO Box 19024, Seattle, WA 98109. Sign the online guest book for the family at www.cookfamilyfuneralhome.com.