Michael Albert Lemp

Michael Albert Lemp, MD passed away peacefully on May 10, 2024 surrounded by his family at his home in Westerly, Rhode Island. Born on May 19, 1937, Michael was raised in Washington, DC making him a fifth generation Washingtonian.
Michael earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Georgetown University where he continued on to be awarded his Doctor of Medicine degree. He ventured south for his internship at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine in North Carolina and then returned to D.C. for his tour of duty in the U.S. Air Force at Andrews Airforce Base. While in the Airforce, Michael was honored to have been selected to participate in the funeral of John F. Kennedy. Following his time in the AirForce, he then remained in D.C. to complete his residency and obtained a Masters of Science degree in Ophthalmology. His expertise in corneal eye disease was sharpened during his clinical fellowship at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Harvard Medical School under the leadership of Claus Dolhman, MD.
Michael returned to D.C. and began his practice while simultaneously serving as Professor of Ophthalmology at Georgetown and George Washington University. Over the course of his career, he went on to serve as a visiting professor at close to 70 universities and authored 220+ scientific papers and six medical books. He served as the primary ophthalmologist to sitting presidents and foreign dignitaries throughout his time in direct patient care. Michael's service to his patients and profession was of profound joy to him. His contributions are many in the specialized fields of corneal eye disease, dry eye disease and ocular surface disease. He served on various national and international boards including the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Washington Eye Bank, International Society for Contact Lens Research, the Castroviejo Cornea Society and the International Eye Bank. One of his proudest achievements was establishing the International Eye Bank's presence in Jordan where he trained ophthalmic surgeons and nurses on the corneal transplantation procedure to address blindness and corneal damage. Michael also served in many advisory/consulting positions to NIH, the FDA, and many innovative drug and medical device companies.
Michael's curiosity and love of learning continued throughout his life. He was a true intellectual, an appreciator of classical music, and ready to delve into varied discussions outside the medical field - especially involving medieval church history. Later in life, he was invited to join the Knights of Malta organization, a lay Catholic order dedicated to spiritual advancement and care for the poor and sick.
His love of travel and learning about other cultures led to many wonderful adventures around the world with his beloved wife, Joan. He was anxious to share this international curiosity with his children and grandchildren, and made including them in travel adventures a priority. When not abroad, he enjoyed spending time with family and friends at various clubs including the Metropolitan Club, the Cosmos Club, the Chevy Chase Club, the Misquamicut Club, and the Lemp family home in Mountain Lake, FL.
In addition to all of Michael's professional accomplishments, his greatest accomplishment by far, was in his role as son, husband, father, and grandfather. As the only child to Albert and Gladys Lemp, he was their pride and joy. As husband to Joan Ahern Lemp, his love and devotion to her was an inspiration to all that witnessed it. The family has many memories of them dancing together at family weddings and at home. And lastly, as a father, he was the captain of the Lemp family ship, navigating them through both the good times and challenging times of their lives…always reminding them to call on their faith which was so important to him.
Michael is survived by his loving wife, Joan Ahern Lemp. They celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary four days prior to his death. Joan introduced Michael to her home state of Rhode Island during their courtship, and little did he know that a significant portion of his life would be spent celebrating family and friends in Watch Hill when not in D.C. They have three children, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He will be greatly missed by all of them including Patrick Lemp (Suzanne Roche), Regina Lemp Livingston (Jeffrey) and Deirdre Lemp (Rob Kisilywicz). He adored all of his grandchildren who admired his intellect and sought advice from him always. They include Megan Tracey (Matt Tracey), Brendan Lemp, Madeleine Livingston (Sean Polley), Juliette Livingston, Charles Livingston, Claire O'Connor, Emme O'Connor, and Breck O'Connor. In the last few years of Michael's life, the joy that his great-grandchildren brought him was very special…they include Luke Tracey, Jack Tracey and Clara Polley. He was blessed to often have a multi-generational home in the summer where grandchildren and great-grandchildren could be heard all throughout the house calling his name. We hope there is a good vintage Malbec in heaven that you can sip while watching over all of us! A Catholic funeral mass will be held at the Watch Hill Chapel in Watch Hill, Rhode Island on Friday, May 31 at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Westerly Hospital Foundation 25 Wells Street, Westerly, Rhode Island 02891.
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