Marie Hemphill can tell you a story or two about her busy life and her travels around the world. During her 93 years she has had a variety of careers and lived in lots of interesting places. She was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, to Henry Johns, a retired steamboat captain, and Della Selman Johns. Her early years were spent in Shreveport, Louisiana where her father built and operated the largest fresh fish market on the Red River.
In the early 1930’s, her family moved to Galveston, Texas where they constructed Della’s Café, Fishing Resort & Weekend Apartments. That’s where Marie lived and worked to help her family until age 14.
In 1941, due to her mother’s health issues, Marie was sent back to Shreveport to live with her aunt and uncle, Bill and Leona Elston . With four sons, and having lost a daughter at birth, the Elston’s were very pleased to have their niece become a part of the family. Bill owned and managed the largest livestock meat market in downtown Shreveport.
In 1944 at the age of 17, Marie met the love of her life (for the next 63 years) Edwin Wayne (E.W.) Hemphill. E.W. was serving our nation during WWII in the South Pacific War with Japan as a naval air pilot stationed on the US Hancock Aircraft Carrier C-19. They married shortly after she turned 18 in 1945 and then moved to the U.S. Naval base in Oakland, California.
After E.W.’s discharge in late 1945, the couple decided to move back to Shreveport to be near their families.
Over the span of the next 63 years, E.W. and Marie very successfully built numerous business enterprises, both aviation and real estate related. These included crop dusting services, aircraft fix based operations, charter services, an aircraft dealership, and were general aircraft jet engine and aircraft maintenance contract operation for Great American Airlines in Reno, Nevada and Branniff Airlines at Brownsville, Texas International Airport, Honolulu, Hawaii, and Miami, Florida. They also owned and operated two different car rental agencies, and managed apartments and hotels in Miami Beach, and Natal, Brazil.
Since the family often traveled together in small private passenger type aircraft, E.W. wanted the family to become qualified to operated them for safety’s sake. Marie became licensed and certified to operate small single engine aircraft.
Since Marie’s husband was an aviator, she extensively and frequently traveled to many other nations on business and pleasure such as: Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Netherlands, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Hong Kong, Mexico Belize, Brazil Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru.
Among Marie’s many other entrepreneurial business achievements was her being named in 1988 as a National Director with Mary Kay Cosmetics Inc. ; thus being awarded in 1989 a coveted Pink Cadillac Sedan Deville by her very good friend Mary Kay Ash.
Throughout Marie’s life she lived in many of our nation’s states such as: Arkansas , Louisiana , Texas, Mississippi , Florida , California ,and Nevada . Marie and E.W. spent their winter months ( December through March ) from 1994 to 2007 living in their pent house quarters; located atop their beautiful Posada Las Palmas – Beach Front Hotel in Natal, Brazil.
Marie and E.W. had two sons: John Wayne Hemphill, now a retired aircraft mechanic living in Miami and Punta Gorda, Florida, and Edwin L. Hemphill, of Walden Lake Conroe and Port O’Conno, who, with his wife Debbie operate Hemphill Insurance Agency.
After her husband’s passing in January of 2008, Marie decided to move in with her son Ed and his wife Debbie, a retired nurse, who are currently at their Port O’Connor home.
Marie enjoys playing games, particularly playing bingo at the weekly senior citizens’ lunch at the Community Center. She also enjoys water aerobics with her friends. And if you see a petite red head with a twinkle in her eye exercising at King Fisher Beach, say “hello” to Marie.
The Pink Cadillac
Marie Hemphill
Della’s Cafe & Fishing Resort at the end of the Galveston causeway
