Born December 10, 1931 in Ithaca, NY, Lempi was one of 13 children of George Elias Huhtanen and Ada Marie Muje Huhtanen. She had various jobs at Cornell, the Ithaca City Court Clerk office, in mail-order publishing, antique dealing, and life insurance underwriting. She had many volunteer activities and interests, including the March of Dimes, local history events, folk dancing, ornithology, and her Finnish heritage. In 1968, she founded the Finger Lakes Finns organization.
From the description of Lilly Parsons Papers, 1969-2002. (Cornell University Library). WorldCat record id: 677912310