Thomas Kempin, executive at arsenal

Thomas C. Kempin, 94, of Mayfair, the civilian executive to the commander of the Frankford Arsenal for 20 years, died Thursday, Dec. 27, at Nazareth Hospital of complications from a stroke.

Until he retired in June 1973, Mr. Kempin was the civilian executive under a dozen different commanders at the arsenal in Northeast Philadelphia. The post was the highest available to civilians there.

In 34 years at the arsenal, he started as an apprentice with an education at North Catholic High School and worked his way up through the machine shop into management.

After his first career, Mr. Kempin embarked upon a second one: He was appointed executive director of Philadelphia's Board of Revision of Taxes.

From there, he moved to chief deputy court administrator for Philadelphia Common Pleas Court. He retired for a second time in 1980.

"He had a lot of insight about how the city works," said his daughter, Mary Ann Toner.

He was active in St. Matthew Church as lector, usher, and chairman of the parish's Catholic charities for a quarter-century.

Mr. Kempin was a member of the Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus, St. John Neumann Assembly, and a member of the Torresdale Frankford Country Club for more than 30 years.

Mr. Kempin was very organized. He had all in readiness for his own funeral, writing his obituary in a shaky hand, leaving a blank line for his date of death.

A resident of the Northeast, he lived in the same house for 84 years, from 1928 until 2012. He told wonderful stories about the old days to his children and grandchildren.

"They don't make them like that anymore," said Toner of her father.

He was a veteran of World War II, and afterward organized numerous posts across the country for Catholic war veterans.

His wife, Betty, died in 1995.

In addition to his daughter, with whom he lived in the family home, he is survived by another daughter, Mary Elizabeth Sheldahl, and four grandchildren.

Donations may be made to the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, Box 87, Childs, Md. 21916.