Mary Jean Kempenaar

Mary Jean Kempenaar, 95, of Middletown died peacefully on October 22, 2017. Mary Jean was born June 22, 1922 in Bridgeton, NJ, the daughter of the late Charles R. and Elizabeth Harris Weber. She was the wife of the late Charles R. Kempenaar. Mary Jean grew up in Bridgeton, NJ. She met her husband while he was doing an apprenticeship at Koster Nurseries. They married February 8, 1946 after WW II and returned to Middletown to raise their family. Mary Jean was a homemaker and an active member of St. George's Episcopal Church. She was also a member of the Ladies Aquidneck Bowling League and the Ladies Bocce League. In August 2017 she was recognized at the Foreign Officers Clambake as the oldest member of the Kempenaar family.She is survived by two daughters Sharon Carter and her husband Edward of Middletown, RI , Gloria Dunn and her husband Peter of Newport, RI and Angela Kempenaar her daughter-in-law. She was a loving grandmother to her six grandchildren, Sheryl Callaghan, Stephanie Berdy, Peter Dunn, Heather Hewson, Charles Kempenaar and Michael Kempenaar. Also surviving Mary Jean are her 8 great-grandchildren who were a great source of happiness in her later years. She also leaves her favorite niece, Barbara Henry, of Bridgeton, NJ.She was preceded in death by her son Charles "Chuckie" Kempenaar, and her brothers Charles, William, Wayne, and George Weber.The funeral will be held on Thursday, October 26, 2017 at 11:00am in St. Marys Episcopal Church, 324 East Main Road, Portsmouth. Burial will follow in the Churchyard.In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Newport Hospital Foundation, 11 Friendship Street, Newport, RI 02840 or Hope Hospice 1085 North Main Street, Providence, RI 02904. Cemetery Details St. Mary's Episcopal Churchyard 324 East Main Road Portsmouth, RI, 02871 Service OCT 26. 11:00 AM St. Marys Episcopal Church East Main Road Portsmouth, RI, US, 02871