Carl D. Kumpf

Carl D. Kumpf, 86 years old, formerly of Hockessin, Delaware, departed this earth and went to be with the Lord Jesus Christ on August 28, 2018.  His parents, Carl E. and Zana Kumpf were excited to welcome their first child in 1932.  In 1949, he graduated from Haddonfield High School and thoroughly enjoyed the numerous class reunions in Cape May, NJ.  After graduation, Carl enlisted in the service and served in the US Air Force and US Army during the Korean Conflict.

In the early 1960s, Carl started his insurance career as an underwriter for Camden Fire insurance company.  Several years later, he began selling life insurance with Highfield and Watkin in the City of Wilmington, Delaware.  In 1968, he acquired the Agency and changed the name to Insurance and Financial Services, Ltd. with a motto of Your Doorway to Protection.  As his business outgrew the Wilmington office, the Agency moved to Hockessin, DE in the late 1970s.  As President, his top priority was taking care of his customers. Many clients appreciated that Carl instilled high standards of excellence and integrity in the insurance business.  He had an affinity for assisting other business owners by making sure they had the correct insurance coverage for their needs. Often, Carl would extend payment terms for a client who needed “extra time”. This allowed his client to remain in business. Eventually, Insurance & Financial Services, Ltd. grew into one of the largest insurance agencies in the State of Delaware.

Throughout the years, many of Carl’s employees have kept in touch with him. They appreciated the example he set for them and that he genuinely cared for them.  He was generous with his time by mentoring others which helped them advance in their own careers.  While managing his business, he was very active in numerous business organizations. These include the Independent Insurance Agents of Delaware where he served as the State National Director.  In 1978, Carl was named the Delaware Insurance Agent of the year.  He was an integral part in the formation of the Insurance Women of Northern Delaware. 

Carl believed in giving back to the community.  As a recovering alcoholic, he invested much time in AA helping others get sober and eventually he became State Director for AA.  He and another recovering alcoholic started 1212 which was a club recovering alcoholics could come and get support in downtown Wilmington.  He recently celebrated 50 years of sobriety.  Other organizations he supported included the Salvation Army where he was a kettle bell attendant for many years.  He volunteered with Hospice, driving patients to doctor’s appointments and reading to reading to others.

Among Carl’s many interests were equestrian show jumping, ballroom dancing, tennis, golf, riding steam engine trains and collecting original wooden carousel animals.  He loved traveling along the Lewis & Clark trails and went on two real cattle drives out West. He even owned several race horses. He donated one of his retired race horses, General Slap, to the City of Wilmington Police Department. His love of music, especially Jazz from the 40’s and 50’s, continued throughout his life. During his time at Rutgers University, he was a DJ for a weekend jazz show on the college radio station.  This led Carl to meet the Stan Kenton Band and June Christy back stage after a concert at Radio City Music Hall. From Frank Sinatra to Elvis to the Doobie Brothers to Herb Albert and the Tijuana brass, Carl enjoyed various genres of music and loved going to concerts.

As an avid Philadelphia sports fan, Carl loved attending Eagles and Flyers games. As an Eagles fan, he traveled to their first 2 Super Bowl appearances in 1981 and 2005.  However, Minnesota was just too cold. He was excited to watch the Eagles win the Super Bowl this year. It brought back memories of when he attended the Eagles 1960 NFL Championship. After moving to Florida, he became a charter season ticket holder for the Jacksonville Jaguars.  Being a Flyers season ticket holder since the 70’s, he was in the Spectrum to watch the Flyers win their first Stanley Cup Championship in 1974.  Most importantly, Carl took great joy and pride in watching his grandchildren playing sports and dancing. Carl’s love of the beach lead his family to visit him every July to celebrate his birthday in Florida for the past 25 years.

Carl will be forever remembered and dearly missed by his wife, Nancy Shilling Kumpf; his brother, Gerry (Victoria); his 3 children, Debbie Little (Rob), Steven Kumpf (Jamey), and Carl Kumpf, Jr (Janis); 2 step-daughters, Anne McKee and Eileen McLaughlin; 7 grand-children, Halaina, Jeremiah, Lydia, Nadia, Elizabeth, John and Joseph McKee; nephew, Alan Kumpf (Lori); his sister-in-law, Dolores Fennell; and numerous other nieces and nephews.  We will cherish our memories of him forever. 

On Thursday, September 13th the family is hosting a time of visitation from 6:00-7:30PM at Doherty Funeral Home, 3200 Limestone Road, Wilmington, DE 19808. Carl’s life and the impact he had on his family and friends will be celebrated on Friday, September 14th at 10:00AM at Brandywine Valley Baptist Church, 7 Mt Lebanon Rd, Wilmington, DE 19803. Interment will follow at Gracelawn Memorial Park, 2220 North DuPont Highway, New Castle, DE 19720.  In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to Faithfoundry c/o Pastor Larry Thompson 2500 E Las Olas #507 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 (http://faithfoundry.org/ )

All in all, Carl will be remembered for his sense of humor, generous nature and business acumen.  He impacted lives in ways that he did not realize.  Numerous individuals have expressed their thanks to Carl for his friendship and all that he did for them. Most significantly, Carl wanted to be known as a family man who lived a Christian life while setting an example for others to follow. His relationship with Jesus Christ was very important to him. Being extremely impacted by his three trips to the Holy Land, he said that was the nearest to God he ever felt.  Carl has gone home, is at peace, in His presence.   

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