William Franklin Kemp

William Franklin Kemp, known to his friends and colleagues as Bill, passed away on June 2, 2026, surrounded by his loving family, at the age of 93, one day shy of his 62nd wedding anniversary with his beloved wife, Suzon.

Born on November 7, 1932, Bill was a fifth-generation Austinite whose life was defined not by titles or accomplishments, but by the way he treated people. He was known for his piercing blue eyes, warm smile, gentle voice and unwavering optimism. He had a gift for finding joy in everyday moments and an enduring belief that, no matter the challenge, things would work out in the end.

As a child, he was known as “Happy,” a nickname he never particularly liked but one that ultimately captured something essential about him. Bill understood that while life often presents challenges beyond our control, we always have a choice in how we respond. Again and again, he chose gratitude over resentment, kindness over bitterness, and hope over despair.

A son of the Great Depression, Bill grew up to appreciate life's blessings without ever taking them for granted. He was the grandson of English and Scottish immigrants and also inherited deep Texas roots and a strong sense of responsibility from the generations that came before him. His father, Willie Kemp, survived the sinking of the USS San Diego during World War I and spent three days treading water before being rescued. From him, Bill, his brother and two sisters learned lessons of resilience, faith, perseverance and service. These values guided Bill throughout his life and in turn, he passed them on to his children.

Bill attended Austin High School and the University of Texas at Austin, completing both in just three years. At UT, he graduated second in his class with honors from the Business School, earning a degree in Industrial Management. He was a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, worked as an undergraduate teaching assistant and served on the staff of the Cactus yearbook.

Through the Naval ROTC program, Bill entered the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. His service took him to New Orleans and Biloxi, where he supervised ship construction projects before continuing in the Naval Reserve. Over a military career spanning more than two decades, he rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander, carrying with him a lifelong sense of duty and service.

Inspired by his great-uncle, Samuel Barnett Kemp, a distinguished Texas attorney who later served as Chief Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court, Bill pursued the law with enthusiasm and purpose. His legal studies took him from Tulane University in New Orleans to George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he considered a career in the Foreign Service. In the end, though, Austin called him home. After earning his law degree from the University of Texas, he began a legal career that would span more than sixty years and bring him lifelong friendships, deep fulfillment and countless opportunities to help others.

Licensed to practice in 1959, Bill never truly stopped, spending more than six decades as a respected civil, trial, corporate and later immigration attorney. The law was more than a profession; it was part of who he was. He appreciated its discipline and intellectual rigor, but what mattered most to him were the people it brought into his life. Whether their stories were marked by success or struggle, Bill approached each person with genuine interest, sound judgment, and unwavering respect. He had a remarkable ability to make clients feel cared for rather than merely represented.

His impact extended beyond his own practice. He co-founded and chaired the Austin Bar Association's Lawyer Referral Service and drafted and championed the legislation that established state licensure for home health agencies in Texas.

Later in life, true to his character, Bill turned his attention to immigration law. Few things brought him greater satisfaction than helping people lawfully build lives in the country he loved so deeply.

He practiced law the way he did everything else: with patience, humility and calm. Bill was living proof that a soft voice could still command a room. He was genuinely interested in people, asking questions, remembering details and making others feel heard.

It was at Austin Country Club that Bill met Frances Suzon Spiller, the woman who would become the love of his life. They were married at St. Mary's Cathedral in 1964 and promptly set off for Europe, the first of many adventures they would share together over the next six decades.

Together, Bill and Suzon built a life in Tarrytown centered around God, family, education, travel, music, service and a lifelong love of learning. Their home was filled with books, UT football and the joyful chaos of raising four daughters and a son. Family dinners were loud and lively, with multiple conversations unfolding at once and enough distraction that vegetables and occasionally vitamins could mysteriously disappear.

Some of the family’s most treasured memories were made on trips to Mexico, their second home, whether by plane or piled into Woody, the family’s beloved brown-paneled station wagon. Long before family road trips became a movie cliché, the Kemps were living them. There always seemed to be an adventure waiting around the next corner: a wrong turn, an unexpected detour, getting stuck in a ditch outside Saltillo, a day spent deep-sea fishing, or the unforgettable time a collision with a pig sent an angry farmer running toward the car with a pitchfork. To Bill, these weren't setbacks, they were stories in the making, retold around family tables for decades afterward.

Bill loved being married, loved being a father and later found immense joy in being a grandfather. He shared a unique bond with each of his children and grandchildren, somehow making every one of them feel deeply known and unconditionally loved without ever diminishing his connection to another. No matter the mistake, disappointment, or setback, they knew they could come to him and be met not with judgment, but with calm counsel, steady perspective, and unwavering love. He never hung up the phone without saying, “I love you.”

If you ever shared a meal or attended a symphony with Bill, you understood how much both meant to him. Food and music were never simply interests; they were ways of experiencing the world, bringing people together and creating memories. He loved discovering new restaurants, revisiting old favorites, debating Austin's best barbecue.

Music occupied an equally special place in his life. For more than half a century, Friday nights often meant a symphony performance with Suzon. Music brought him joy, but so did the sense of community and shared purpose it fostered. Bill understood that the most meaningful things in life, an orchestra, a marriage, a family, a friendship are built slowly, through patience, harmony and care.

A Trustee Emeritus of the Austin Symphony Orchestra Society, Bill served as its legal counsel for 46 years and was a dedicated member of its Board of Directors. In 1966, he became a charter founder of the Knights of the Symphony, later reigning as King Brio XIV, serving as Lord of the Privy Seal and Chairman of the Board. He remained the last surviving founding member of the organization, a distinction he carried with pride and gratitude for the legacy he helped create.

Bill believed that showing up mattered. He maintained more than 22 years of perfect attendance with the West Austin Rotary Club, tracking down meetings wherever his travels took him, from Austin to Paris. He was also an active member of the Bachelors of Austin and numerous civic and community organizations.

A voracious reader of history and biography, Bill believed deeply in the power of education. He challenged his children to learn a new word every day and encouraged a lifelong curiosity about the world. A devoted student of the Constitution and American history, he loved his country deeply. Even as he witnessed periods of uncertainty and division, he never lost faith in the ideals that had shaped the nation or his conviction that the United States remained the greatest country on earth.

Bill belonged to a generation that valued duty, honor, country, friendship and family. He often reflected on what he affectionately called “those were the days” moments, not because he lived in the past, but because he appreciated the people, experiences and traditions that had enriched his life.

More than any title he held or accomplishment he achieved, Bill will be remembered for the way he made people feel. He noticed people. He remembered their stories. He gave them nicknames, shared meals, offered advice and listened with genuine interest. Family, friends, clients, neighbors and strangers alike left his presence feeling seen, valued and a little more hopeful than before. His laughter came easily, and he delighted in making others laugh with him, leaving nearly everyone he met a little better for having known him.

He was a loyal friend, a devoted husband and father, a proud grandfather and a man whose kindness was matched only by his humility. He was, quite simply, one of the good guys.

Bill is survived by his beloved wife, Frances Suzon Spiller Kemp of Austin; his five children, Frances Thompson of St. Louis, Missouri, Louise de Jong and her husband Allan, Katherine Kemp, Elizabeth Rose and her husband Sean, and William Kemp II and his wife Rebecca, all of Austin; his nine grandchildren, Avery and Bode de Jong, Ireland and Audrey Rose, Alana, Malia, and Charles Thompson, and Aidan and Colin Kemp; his cherished first cousin, Anna V. Galloway, the last surviving member of his generation on his father's side of the family; and many wonderful nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Willie and Fannie Ireland Kemp; his brother, Boone Kemp; and his sisters, Mary Lee Webb and Irene Kemp Glass.

And if there is comfort to be found, it is in imagining Bill once again surrounded by the family and friends who brought him such joy in life, reunited in laughter, good conversation, enduring friendship, Willie playing in the background and perhaps a fatty-chopped brisket sandwich with pickles and onions nearby, a cold root beer close at hand and another story waiting to be shared.

Friends and family are invited to a visitation on Sunday, June 7, 2026, from 5:00–7:00 p.m. at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, 5416 Parkcrest Drive, Austin, Texas 78731. A private family vigil service and Catholic graveside burial, officiated by Fr. Tommy Sebastian, will be held with military honors at Mount Calvary Cemetery.

Memorial contributions in Bill's honor may be made to the Austin Symphony Orchestra Society, Inc., Attn.: Development Office, 1113 Red River Street, Austin, Texas 78701, or online at: https://myaustinsymphony.org/donate/i/commemorativegiving