Mayo, MD-Jean Marie (Pender) Kemon, 76, recently of Neola, WV, passed away Thursday, May 1, 2020, at the home of her daughter after a courageous battle with metastatic bone cancer.
Born on Mar. 30, 1944, in Washington, DC, to Irvin Pender and Frances (Sniegoski) Pender, Jean did not meet her father until two years later when he returned from WWII’s European battle front.
Raised in the DC-MD-VA area, she frequently spent many joy-filled times with her large extended family at her grandparents’ home in DC and at their beach house in Shoreham Beach, MD. Her strong independent stubborn streak, plus a touch of snarky humor, helped her get through many of her life’s trials, including fighting both polio and spinal scoliosis as a youth.
Jean graduated from Annapolis High School in 1962. She then attended the Lucy Webb Hayes School of Nursing at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, DC, graduating as a diploma nurse in the spring of 1965. While in nursing school, Jean met Chad Kemon at “Dave’s Corner,” an old dance hall tavern located in Beverley Beach. Jean and Chad married in October 1966 and, after a brief stint living in Eastport, they settled into a home and raised their family in Shoreham Beach in the same neighborhood as her parents and grandparents.
Jean worked as a registered nurse for over 40 years. She began her profession in medical-surgical and geriatric nursing and then private duty home health, before spending the next 25 plus years working as a pediatric nurse for Azam Baig MD of South River Pediatrics at both his Edgewater and Kent Island locations. Jean loved seeing her little patients grow up over the years and return with their own children who also learned to call her “Miss Jean.” She was a longtime member of the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 226 in Mayo where she facilitated many outreach programs between the Unit 226 Juniors and area veteran facilities during the 1980s. Jean attended the Annapolis Senior Center for many years after retiring where she participated in tai chi and ceramics classes. She enjoyed reading, gardening, baking, dancing, crafts, playing Bingo and slot machines, traveling, embroidery, Wii bowling with her grandsons, all types of music, her game shows, the antics of her cats, and feeding her birds and squirrels. She especially loved spending time with her children and grandchildren, her close-knit group of cousins, and her best friends, Cathy and Sharon.
Jean was predeceased by her parents; her husband, Walter C. “Chad” Kemon, Jr. in 1984; and her significant other of 16 years, William L. “Bill” Kelley, Jr. in 2004.
She is survived by her beloved sister, Mary Louise “Lou” Pender, recently of Mayo MD and currently of Neola; her children, Michael Kemon and wife Stephanie of Ronceverte, Tammy (Kemon) Beardmore and husband Jerry of St. Leonard, MD, and David Kemon of Mayo, MD. She was the proud and loving MeMaw to seven grandchildren who brought such joy and laughter to her life: Chad, Megan, Aimee, Jake, Nate, Breann, and Paitlin; and her great-grandson, Luke.
The family will host relatives and friends for a celebration of Jean’s life in May 2021. There will be a private graveside service and internment at Lakemont Memorial Gardens in Davidsonville.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Jean’s memory can be made to Calvert Hospice or a no-kill animal shelter of your choice.