Born on December 20, 1923, to Bernard and Julia (Renner) Steffensmeier on a farm near Olean, Nebraska, she attended Sacred Heart Grade School at Olean. Caroline was united in marriage to Leonard Kempf on February 8, 1944 at Sacred Heart Church in Olean, Nebraska. At the farm she would do chores and always had hot meals on the table for her ten children and loving husband. She was a homemaker and farm wife that had a love for baking cinnamon rolls for her grandchildren. She loved to garden, travel, and spend time with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. After she moved to town, she worked for Parkview Nursing Home. She also volunteered her time cleaning the church and school. She was a member of the Christian Mothers, Altar Society and VFW Women’s Auxiliary.
Caroline is survived by her nine children, Mary Ann (Duane) Cakl of Lincoln, Leonard Kempf Jr. of Dodge, Norman (Ayako) Kempf of San Diego, Ca, Raymond (Mary) Kempf of West Point, Paul (Claudia) Kempf of Dodge, David (Malinda) Kempf of Dodge, Gerald (Wauneta) Kempf of Beatrice, LaDonna (Robert) LaMar of Ft. Collins, Co, and Mark (Michelle) Kempf of Maryville, Mo, 24 grandchildren Laura (Andy) Weatherl, Randy Cakl, Ellen Kempf, Levi (Ciara) Kempf, Elizabeth (Robert) Messick, Jacob (Meghan) Kempf, Kenneth Kempf, Christine Galvan, Jennifer Martinez, Roger (Katie) Kempf, Kari (Ryan) Lempp, Kelly (Wil) Kastning, Kortney (Matt) Sayers, Kyle Kempf, Sarah Kempf, Julie Kempf, Catherine Kempf, Sarah Kempf-Hopkins, Megan Kempf, Kayla LaMar, Robert LaMar, Maggie Kempf, Peter Kempf, and Carson Kempf, and 24 great-grandchildren Morgan, Logan, Athena, James, Chase, Julian, Cloe, Diego, Mya, Mic, Zoe, Alex, Aiden, Lucian, Cole, Parker, Jocelyn, Alaena, Alaina, Eli, Emma, Jackson, Annabelle and to be named. She is also survived by her sisters Theresa Dinslage and Agnes Hunke, brothers Walter and Monsignor Ralph, sisters-in-law Henrietta and Annie Steffensmeier, and brother-in-law William Hunke.
Caroline was preceded in death by Leonard, her husband of 55 years, Allen her son, brothers Aloysius, Nicholaus, Herman, George, Vincent, Wilfred, and Norbert, and sisters-in-law Lorene, Angela, Marie, Mary Ann and Janice.