Sharon Yvonne Kemp

Sharon had a wonderful, full, active life. She was born in December, 1941, and grew up in rural farming areas around Viroqua, WI, near LaCrosse. Her parents were Florence (Tryggestad) and Earl Skrede, and she had two older brothers, Clayton Odean Skrede (Janice) and Arlen Skrede (Sonja). Sharon maintained close relationships with both couples, and her parents, throughout her life. She also enjoyed being an aunt to nieces Cheryl, Lana, and Janet, and to nephews Michael and David.

She was a hard worker, but also loved to have fun, and stayed in touch with a group of her high school girlfriends her whole life. They were the 'YaYa's' (Sharon, Kathleen, Phyllis, Eunice/Mickey, and Norma) and after families were raised and gone, they started traveling and having vacations together, always with lots of good times. She had a great sense of humor and loved to laugh. Sharon loved music and enjoyed dancing, anything from jitterbug to polka to disco to country line dancing.

She retired from University of Wisconsin - Madison, where she worked for almost 25 years. Sharon loved her coworkers, and the Campus, and all the students she helped over the years. Her coworker Michele also became a close friend. She had season tickets to the UW hockey games for a long time, and was a big Bucky Badger supporter.

Sharon was on her condo association board for close to 2 decades, and the property ran like clockwork under her watchful eye...but she'd also pitch in on yardwork, and was never above picking up fallen branches or dropped trash. She became good friends with many of her neighbors, especially Rose and Carrie. Buying her own condo was an accomplishment she was very proud of, and her family had decades of great memories and shared holidays there.

Sharon learned to play golf with her good friend Nancy, and the two of them also enjoyed outings with friends Marlene and Cheryl.

Sharon loved card games like pinochle and euchre, joining the Madison Area Social Club after retirement. Winning big meant she walked away with a few extra bucks in her coin purse...might as well have been thousands, with how pleased she'd be.

Sharon married Ted Kemp in January 1962, and they had two daughters: Lisa Kemp (JR Remke), and Susan Kemp (John Vincent). They lived for many years in Illinois, where Sharon worked as the HR administrator at a plastics factory, Brockway Plastics, once again in a role of helping others. At one point, Sharon could type over 100wpm on IBM Selectric typewriters, despite a finger she broke playing softball as a kid. Sharon and Ted (Karyn) divorced in the early 80s, and she never remarried.

Sharon loved Nature, and trees, and animals, and small children. She traveled widely, with Venice and New Orleans being among her favorites. She always liked to dress well, and her full closet reflected her jacket-tshirt-shoe-purse-ring collecting hobby. She was beloved by many, including all the staff at Cedarhurst of Woodstock, the memory care facility where she lived for the last 2.5 years of her life. She will be missed by many, most of all by her two daughters.