Doris Helen Kempf (née Smith) was born on September 24, 1942 in Denver, Colorado, the third child of Charles and Helen Smith. Doris spent her childhood in San Bernardino and Hesperia, California with her older brothers Milton and Charles, and younger sister Janice. She graduated from Barstow Union High School in 1960 and received her Associate in Arts degree from Victor Valley College in 1963.
In early 1964, Doris married U.S. Air Force airman John Kempf and later that summer, moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where their son James was later born in 1970. Doris became a nursing professional in 1977 and earned an Associate of Arts in Nursing degree in 1984 from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). She continued her education to receive her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from UNLV in 1997.
Doris became an avid supporter of and volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America, after being involved with her son’s troop. She served as Troop 208 Committee Chairperson for nearly a decade beginning in 1985 and then as Boy Scout West Area Roundtable Commissioner from 1990 to 1991. Doris was awarded the Vigil Honor by the Order of the Arrow in 1992; and the Silver Beaver in 1994 and the Founder’s Award in 1999, both by the Boy Scouts of America.
From 1990 onwards, Doris was actively involved at the West Oakey/Shadow Hills Baptist Church, where she sang in the choir and volunteered with Helping Hands.
Doris is remembered by friends and loved ones as kind, loving, and someone who went out of her way to help others in need. She is known by former Boy Scouts as a role model and mentor, who cheered them on and made a difference in their lives. She enjoyed camping and hiking, loved beading and quilting, and was a voracious reader. Most of all, Doris adored her son James.
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