Jon Kemmer, a former Houston Astros minor league outfielder who later devoted himself to coaching youth baseball in the Houston area, was killed Sunday in a single vehicle rollover near Santa Fe. He was 35 and had been heading home after coaching at a weekend tournament in Houston when the crash happened.
Crash Near Santa Fe
According to the Galveston County Medical Examiner's Office, Kemmer's vehicle left Farm-to-Market Road 2004 just after 6 p.m., struck an electrical pole, then rolled. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Those details were reported by the Houston Chronicle.
Minor League Career and Youth Coaching
Kemmer was drafted by the Astros in the 21st round of the 2013 MLB Draft and spent several seasons in Houston's system, making stops with the Corpus Christi Hooks and Fresno Grizzlies, according to his MiLB player page. After playing in Mexico and in winter ball, he settled in the Santa Fe area and was coaching the HTX Battle Bucks 14U travel team at the Triple Play Classic in Houston before making the drive home, Explore Jefferson reported.
Family and Services
The family's obituary notes that Kemmer lived in Santa Fe with his wife, Kourtney, and their two young children, and that a celebration of life is scheduled for May 23 in Clarion, Pennsylvania. In a statement reported by KHOU, his wife wrote, “I don't have words, life has taken on a shade of gray since losing my other half,” and the Robert V. Burns Funeral Home is assisting the family, according to GantNews.
Local Reaction
Friends, former teammates, and area coaches remembered Kemmer as generous with his time and easy to reach for local media. “Through it all, Jon was always good to me,” one friend wrote, as quoted by the Houston Chronicle. The Chronicle also reported that the Astros organization and the HTX Battle Bucks had not yet responded to requests for comment.
