Mother of one, and the oldest of five siblings, Carol Kemper is described by her younger sister Beth Husser as “the mother of all mothers”.
“He would drop what he was doing to help somebody,” Husser told CBS News. “He’s the most selfless person you’ll ever meet.”
This selflessness has turned her passion for fitness into a successful personal training career focused on senior citizens, and now Parkinson’s disease, a cause that has become close to her heart after Kemper’s brother-in-law was diagnosed with the disease in 2019.
Kemper offers classes specializing in exercise and therapy for people with Parkinson’s disease.
“We learn by example through our upbringing,” Kemper says. “We saw our parents being devout Catholics and devoted to their families. It’s a natural reaction that we care for each other and are very close and loving with each other.”
So close, in fact, that Kemper is also the primary caregiver for his 91-year-old mother, Liz Thurin.
“I understand the amount of work it takes physically and mentally,” Husser said. “My sister does that, as well as whatever else is going on in her life.”
Husser described to CBS News how Kemper was able to keep her studio going while also taking care of their mother. Thurin and her late husband were married for more than 60 years and raised their five children together.
A close-knit family, Kemper’s siblings also lend a helping hand whenever possible.
“Our mother has struggled with her health for the past two years, and our father passed away four years ago,” Kemper said. “And she carried it all with such grit and determination and just handled everything with such grace. And I think that’s passed down to us.”
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Norah O’Donnell
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