For more than four decades, anyone watching Friday night high school football around Baton Rouge knew the silhouette on the field. Ronald George Kemp spent 44 years as a Baton Rouge area football official, keeping time, watching the chains, and enforcing the rules of a game he loved deeply. On October 9, 2026, the long-serving official passed away in Baker, Louisiana, at the age of 74.
A Lifetime Tied to Local Institutions
Kemp’s life spanned a deep connection to local institutions in East Baton Rouge Parish. He graduated from Capitol High School in 1970 before earning a degree from Southern University in 1974.
Over the decades, his professional life bridged state service and community engagement. He retired as a State of Louisiana employee while maintaining active roles at the ExxonMobil YMCA and the Main Library at Goodwood.
Four Decades on the Gridiron
Yet it was on the gridiron where many in the community knew him best.
As a longtime member of the Louisiana High School Officials Association, Kemp spent 44 years refereeing local games, a tenure that witnessed generations of student-athletes pass through area stadiums.
Family and Legacy
Kemp is survived by his wife, Louise G. Kemp, and his sons, Renfred Kemp and Roderick Kemp. He also leaves behind three sisters, Cynthia Kemp-Wisham, Cheryl V. Combest, and Artreese V. Peoples; three brothers, Michael Kemp, Gerald Vaughan, and Willard Vaughan; and two grandchildren, London Kemp and Maia Kemp, alongside three sisters-in-law, one brother-in-law, and numerous other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Roland Kemp and Georgia W. Kemp Vaughan; his bonus father, William P. Vaughan, Jr.; his bonus mother, Delores B. Kemp; his grandparents; and his brothers, Roland W. Kemp and Charles Vaughan.
Services Scheduled in Baton Rouge
Services are scheduled for Friday, October 30, 2026. Visitation will begin at 9:00 a.m. at St. John Baptist Church, located at 820 New Rafe Meyer Rd. in Baton Rouge, followed by religious services at 11:00 a.m. Dr. Donald R. Ruth, Pastor, will officiate. Interment will take place at Southern Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Baton Rouge under the direction of Hall Davis and Sons. The family has noted that there will be no final viewing.
