Elizabeth "Beth" KEMPF

KEMPF, Elizabeth "Beth" (Phillips) Elizabeth Jean "Beth" (Phillips) Kempf, born October 5, 1966, passed away at Middlesex Hospital on Friday (November 5, 2010) after courageously battling ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) for more than three years. She was a loving and cherishing wife, mother, daughter, sister and aunt. Beth is survived by her sparkling children, Justin (10) and Amelia (5); her devoted husband Rudy and parents Robert and Nancy Phillips; her loving sister Meredith Phillips and her husband Matthew Schuerman; sister-in-law Magdalene Wilson and her husband Dean; her mother-in-law, Anneliese Kempf; her adoring aunts and uncles, Janet and Jim White and Judy and Harvey Sinclair; and her many nieces, nephews, cousins and faithful friends. Born in Hartford, Beth graduated from Wethersfield High School, class of 1984, and served at Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper. Beth studied abroad at the University of Granada, Spain and graduated from UConn, class of 1988. She was employed at The Travelers and later at Chubb Executive Risk as a senior underwriter before she became a full-time mother and family manager. With a radiance of personality as bright as her natural glow, Beth delighted in swimming, travel, food, stories, friends and family. She will be remembered in particular for her uncanny ability to mark every occasion with a perfect gift and a splendid party. First to laugh and first to cry, Beth was an approachable and attentive friend. Beth, who never wanted any conversation to end, will be missed terribly. Funeral services will begin on Tuesday, (November 9) at 9 a.m. at the D'Esopo Funeral Chapel, 277 Folly Brook Blvd., Wethersfield followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at the Church of the Incarnation, 544 Prospect St., Wethersfield. Burial will be in Village Cemetery, Wethersfield. Family and friends may call on Monday from 4-7 p.m. at the funeral chapel. Most sincere thanks and gratitude to the legion of family and friends whose love and support have sustained Beth and her family through the last several years. Special thanks to the Church of the Incarnation, where Beth was a lifelong member; the staff at Masonicare VNA Partners (in particular Donna and Loretta); the organization Voice for Joanie; her caregivers Sharon, Maria, Gayl, and Connie and cousins, Dr. Christopher Sinclair and Samantha Sinclair, NP. For those wishing to make memorial donations, the family is particularly grateful to the ALS Association of CT, 4 Oxford Rd., Unit D4, Milford, CT 06460. For online expressions of sympathy to the family, please visit www.desopo.com.