Roy Kemp, 75

Roy Patrick Kemp, 75, passed away at his home on Dec. 22, 2024, of metastatic lung cancer.  

He was born at Kingston on Thames, Surry England on July 11, 1949. He immigrated to London, Minnesota, with his family in 1957 at the age of 8 and became a U.S. citizen on April 10, 1963.

Roy had a very interesting life, which he enjoyed very much. He managed rock and roll bands in his 20s. He worked at Green Giant processing plant in Blue Earth, Minnesota. He made his way to Montana with a friend in 1972 and he worked at St. Mary Village doing maintenance. He worked maintenance at Big Mountain Ski Resort and was later hired at North Valley Hospital as the maintenance supervisor, working his way up to the position of director of support services.

While working at North Valley Hospital, he met his adorable wife, Denise. They were married in 1989, quit their jobs and traveled around the world for seven months. They returned to Kalispell for a couple of years.

Roy and Denise moved to Helena in 1991 where Roy took a job with DPHHS as the building planner and eventually worked his way up to being acting administrator for the Licensure Bureau of DPHHS. He retired from the State in 2016.

His interests included sailing, camping, golfing, diving, hiking and cooking. He was a staunch advocate for the elderly, animals, and the safety of children in daycare centers. He was an active member of New Life Lutheran Church.

Roy was a gentle, caring, fun and honest soul who stood by his convictions and was always the same, no matter who he was around. He will be sorely missed.

Roy is survived by his wife, Denise; sister, Shirley Slowinski, brother, John (Barb) Lawrence, and numerous nieces and nephews.  

He was preceded in death by his brother, Paul Kemp and his parents, Reginald and Dorothy Kemp.

The family would like to thank Dr. Bigger, the staff at Saint Peter's Hospital and Saint Peter's Hospice for his care.

Roy's funeral will be held at Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home, 3750 N. Montana Ave. in Helena, MT on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials would be appreciated at the Lewis and Clark Humane Society.