Frank Badart Kemp, 81, of Darien, passed away peacefully at home on August 30 2025, due to heart failure.
Born on September 30, 1943, to Blanche and Lemuel Kemp, Frank was raised at their home in Catonsville Maryland. He graduated from McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Maryland in 1961.
As an American Studies major at Yale's Davenport College, he was active in campus programs, especially the Yale Political Union, taking great pleasure in hosting guest speakers of national reputation to a seminar chat, dinner, and then presentations to the larger student body.
He enlisted in the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps, and upon graduation (1965) was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Infantry. His initial assignment was at Camp Casey, Tongduchon, Korea, 40 miles north of Seoul and near the Demilitarized Military Zone. His first assignment was an Infantry Platoon Leader, prior to being promoted to First Lieutenant and the Battalion Staff. Prior to his discharge from the Army he taught marksmanship to basic trainees at Fort Dix.
At Columbia University he earned a Master of Business Administration (1969), majoring in Finance and Information Management and was hired into a start-up training program for liberal arts graduates by Arthur Young and Company. There, he learned the consultant's discipline and thrived in projects devoted to computer systems and development.
While at Columbia he met and courted Judith Ann Budding who had graduated from Connecticut College while he was in the Army. Their marriage in the fall of 1969 marked the beginning of forty-four years of bliss - starting in Murray Hill, then Brooklyn Heights, and then in 1987, a final move to Darien.
Once settled in at Seagate Road in Darien, they began their commuting careers, together in the morning, but just unable to coordinate the timings of their trips home.
With a love for sailing, clearly inherited from his Dad, Judy and Frank ventured all over Long Island Sound and the Islands, enjoying weeks-long cruises to places where they could anchor out, and enjoy the sunsets. In later years, the sailing platform was an 18' Marshall Catboat, a sturdy craft found mostly in the middle of the pack: neither the first, nor the last. After the years of sailing, he recently "went to the dark side" with a sturdy 19' center console, and pushed the boat to Hartford, the Erie Canal and around Manhattan several times, for the pure joy of it.
Following a complete career at Arthur Young, Frank served as Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the Municipal Bond Investors Assurance, Mudge Rose Gutherie Alexander & Ferdun, completing his career at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants just after Y2K computer issues were resolved.
On their retirements in 2000, Frank and Judy launched into a most vigorous era of public service projects within Darien. They were recognized as Volunteers of the Year in 2006. They served on the Board of Person-to-Person, on the Vestry of St. Luke's Parish, and at the Darien Arts Center. Frank served as President of the Board of the Arts Center for several years, and as Commander of the Darien Sail & Power Squadron. He relished the challenges of organizing the Squadron's Flare/Up! session, as well as the Boat/Camp outing, involving over 100 campership students and many volunteers' boats.
Upon the loss of Judy in 2013, Frank returned to active participation in yet more civic activity, including teaching boating courses for the Darien Sail & Power Squadron. It has been estimated that he and his colleagues have taught and certified over 3,000 students for their Connecticut boating licenses - many of whom have remained good friends.
He has been one of the longer-serving members of the Town's Representative Town Meeting (Legislature) and was chair of the committee that has been revising the Town Charter and Ordinances.
He is survived by his partner, Margaret MacMillen, and a great cloud of honorary nieces and nephews, and their kids too.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Frank's memory to Person-to-Person 1864 Post Road, Darien CT 06820 or East Coast Contemporary Ballet, 15 Yew Street, Norwalk, CT 06850.
A memorial service with reception following, will be held at St. Luke's Parish on Saturday September 27, 2025 at 11:00 AM https://lawrencefuneralhome.co...
