Kem Kirkham Arnold of Tarkington has built a life around saying yes.
Yes to business opportunities. Yes to travel. Yes to trying something new, even when there are risks involved. And yes to serving people during some of the hardest moments of their lives.
Arnold recently joined Bluebonnet News for the “Headlines and Heartlines” podcast, where she shared stories about growing up in Tarkington, building multiple businesses, traveling the country in search of history and adventure, and carrying on the values instilled in her by her parents, longtime Liberty County Judge Lloyd “Tookie” Kirkham and Cordelia Kirkham.
Born in 1968 at Cleveland Hospital, Arnold grew up surrounded by agriculture, livestock projects and close family ties. She said those early years in Tarkington shaped the person she would become.
“We showed livestock and grew up with that agriculture life background,” Arnold said. “It was just an all-around great experience that made us who we are.”
Her late father, well-known throughout Liberty County for his years in public service, expected a lot from his daughters.
“There was pressure,” Arnold admitted with a laugh. “But it was also an inspiration.”
Her mother worked for Tarkington ISD for more than 30 years and taught Arnold the value of persistence and hard work.
“You can do anything you set your mind to do,” Arnold said. “And whatever decision you make, you go with it.”
That mindset helped lead Arnold into entrepreneurship.
In 2016, she launched what later became Horizons Hospice, a company that provides care and support to patients and families facing serious illness. While she has owned several businesses over the years, Arnold said hospice has been the most meaningful and the most challenging.
“It always bears on me because failure means other people’s income,” she said, referring to the employees who depend on the company.
Arnold spoke passionately during the interview about the misunderstandings many people still have about hospice care.
“A lot of people think it’s just the final hours of life, and it’s not,” she said. “We’ve had patients on hospice care for well over a year.”
She explained that hospice often helps not only patients, but exhausted caregivers.
“What families need most during those final moments is help and love,” she said.
Even while managing the hospice care business, Arnold also ventured into the food business with Southern and Soul, a food truck she operated alongside her mother and sister, Kehle Kirkham.
The business was hard work, but it also brought plenty of laughs and memories.
Arnold recalled opening the food truck window at a rodeo one day to see dozens of hungry customers waiting in line.
“I thought, ‘Oh gosh, what have we done?’” she said jokingly.
These days, Arnold and her husband, Scott Lewis, have turned their love of travel into another business venture. The couple owns two Airbnb properties in the Branson, Missouri, area — a lakeside condo near Lake Taneycomo and a secluded log cabin called “The Grand Getaway.”
What started as family vacation spots slowly evolved into successful rental properties.
“It wasn’t strictly for income,” Arnold said. “We knew we were going to use them a lot with the grandkids.”
Her passion for travel recently inspired yet another venture — a travel advising business called Journey Junction, where she helps people plan vacations, destination weddings and group trips.
Arnold said one of her favorite parts of hosting travelers is hearing the stories people bring with them.
One guest experience still stands out in her mind: two sisters who had been separated at birth and reunited years later during a stay in Branson.
“That was unforgettable,” she said.
Travel has also fueled Arnold’s lifelong fascination with history.
She said a high school teacher, Mary Jo Havard, first sparked her interest in Texas and American history, and today Arnold frequently visits battlefields, historic churches, cemeteries and courthouses across the country.
Gettysburg remains one of the places that affected her most deeply.
“There’s just so much history there,” she said.
Arnold and her husband also participate in Civil War reenactments, where she portrays a Confederate field nurse while Lewis often alternates sides depending on what is needed for the event.
The reenactments, she said, are especially meaningful during school field trips, when thousands of students come through to learn about American history in a hands-on setting.
“They get to see living history,” she said.
Despite balancing multiple businesses, travel and family life, Arnold said she has never been one to sit still.
“If my TV is on 10 hours a year, that’s a lot,” she joked.
Looking back over her life, Arnold said she is most proud of her family, including daughter, Rachel Oliver, and husband, Jared, son, Colby, and two grandchildren, Jaxon and River. She also is proud of the opportunities she has had to help others along the way.
And while her businesses and adventures may look different on the surface, they all come back to the same idea — making meaningful connections with people.
“Life is fragile,” Arnold said during the interview. “You just have to make the most of it.”
To listen to her full interview on the Bluebonnet News Headlines and Heartlines podcast, click the link below:
Kem is one of the best ladies you will ever meet. I know her Dad is constantly watching over her from above and loving every minute of it! She failed to mention that she’s a member of the Eastern Star Chapter #465, along with her Mom and sister. Her Dad TOOKIE was a 50 plus year member of Tarkington Prairie Masonic Lodge #498, her husband Scott Lewis is also a Mason! Kem is well loved by her community!!!!