John Allen Hemphill

West Point, 1951

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Thomas E Hemphill on May 28, 2021:

This is a eulogy from Guy M (Micky) Hemphill and Thomas E (Tommy) Hemphill, John (Johnny) Hemphill's cousins. Johnny was a part of our lives for 3/4 of a century. He was there when we were babies, before he went to West Point, and we were with him just days before he passed away. We have many stories that we could share of our times with Johnny, but we'll keep it short and share just a few highlights. In 1951 Johnny came to visit and we have a photo of us all in uniforms. Micky was almost four years old and Tommy was seven. Johnny towered of us in his official Army uniform and we had our uniforms as well. When Johnny returned from Korea a couple of years later, he brought us colorful jackets with dragons and other things that we can't recall. We just remember the dragons. We recall wearing the jackets everywhere regardless of the weather, until they simply fell apart. When Johnny was at West Point and had met Peggy, he told her about "his two boys" back home. Peggy was confused for a while, but finally Johnny told her the full story. He was a serious person, but had a great sense of humor as well. After Johnny and Peggy moved to their home at Steilacoom, WA, we were able to get together more often. We had a lot of great visits there. We got together for several salmon and steelhead fishing trips over the years after his retirement. We were there for their 50th wedding anniversary cruise on Puget Sound, and for Johnny's 90th Birthday celebration. And we will be there for his final farewell.

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