Margaret "Peggy" Ann (Kemp) Murphy

Margaret (Peggy) Ann Kemp Mountford Murphy died on August 27, 2020 at the age of 75 in Utah from complication due to dementia. Peggy is survived by her 7 children: Colleen Stephenson (Zachary), Eric Mountford, Lydia Ruttenbur (Evan), Sarah Hancock (Val), Evan Mountford (Emily), Nathan Mountford, and Lenora Moore (Tim).  She also has 9 grandchildren and was preceded by her parents John (Jack) William Kemp and Katherine Elizabeth Reedy and a nephew Paul Kemp, son of Robert Kemp. She has 2 brothers who are still living, Robert Kemp (Peggy) and Alan Kemp (Claudia, decd).

The summer WWII was closing in Europe, a happy daughter Margaret (Peggy) Kemp was born on 5 April 1945 in Santa Monica, California. Her father was an engineer for Douglas Airforce base in Hawaii previous to marriage. Her mother a devoted homemaker. She was very close to her parents both in youth and adulthood. Peggy graduated from Van Nuys High School and had a variety of talents. Her high energy carried her to activities such as ballet, ice skating, modeling, and cycling (her father owned a cycling shop in Burbank down the street from the Hollywood studios). She was a never ending learner. During her married years to Stanley Durwood Mountford  m. 4 July 1964, she learned baking, efficient housekeeping, cake decorating, food preservation, crafts… famous for her Christmas decorations she passed out to 50+ neighbors, just to name a few. She was a leader among women, a spiritual woman, and was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Days Saints. She also was an avid genealogist and found/recorded more than 1,000 ancestral names from devoted research.

With 5 children still at home, Peggy began college. She excelled in her studies, graduating from San Jose State University in California with a major in Occupational Therapy and a minor in Geriatric Therapy. She loved older people and helping them retain their quality of life.  She was able to be cared for in the same way by her daughter Lydia (Evan) and their family for the last 5 years of her life.  She taught her family valuable lessons during these last years, and we will be forever grateful to her for them.

Private funeral services were held on September 3, 2020 at Wheeler Mortuary. A special thank you for their kind services and gentle way of handling people and their loved ones.