Jean Marie Hellman Hemingway

Jean Hellman was born in Holly, Co., June 27, 1924 the fourth of 7 children to E. Marie and Andrew B. Hellman. The family moved to Arizona and Jean was raised in the Glendale/Phoenix area mostly on the family’s dairy farm. Jean graduated from St. Mary’s High School in 1942 and quickly went to work in the war plants around Phoenix. It was at a USO dance at Luke field where Jean met Bernie Hemingway. She used to say she was very flattered when Bernie asked her to dance, because he was considered to be the best jitter-bug dancer around those parts. Jean and Bernie were married on May 12, 1943 and settled in the Phoenix area. Jean kept busy raising children for the first several years and frequently took in other people’s children to care for. Once the 7th child was old enough to go to school, Jean went back to work at Motorola on an assembly line. In 1964 Jean and Bernie moved to Southern California with the 5 youngest children and settled in the Long Beach area. Jean went to work for the County of Los Angeles as a switch board operator at LA County General Hospital (now known as USC School of Medicine) moving up the ranks to become a Supervisor and working at various county facilities. She convinced Bernie to seek work with the county as well and for a time Jean worked at General Hospital and Bernie was nearby at Men’s Central jail as a cook. As the children left home or became old enough to take care of themselves, Jean and Bernie discovered their passion for travel. Starting with a trailer pulled behind a pickup and working there way up to small to mid-sized motor-homes, they criss-crossed the country seeing all parts of the USA, looking up long lost family, as well as visiting their children who had grown and moved to other states. Eventually Bernie’s health demanded he take early retirement and Jean followed a year later. They continued to travel in search of a place to settle down into retirement, and moved to Prescott Valley, Arizona in 1984 where they lived until Bernie’s death in 1990. After Bernie’s death, Jean moved back to Southern California where she learned to operate a computer and even worked in the credit department at Robinson’s department store for a short time. Jean stayed in the Long Beach area until her recent death. Jean had a terrific sense of humor and loved to play cards. Once she took art lessons and discovered how to put her vision on canvas, she created several pieces of art treasured by family today. She enjoyed music and sang in church even though she did not have a great voice. She said it was OK to “make a joyful noise to the Lord” Jean is survived by her children; Bernard Phillip Hemingway, Jr., of Phoenix, AZ. Anne Marie Lechuga, of all points, Virginia Hemingway of Hawthorne, CA, Andrew Hemingway of Port Orchard, WA., Judi Robinson of Lakewood, CA., Michael Hemingway of Phoenix, AZ, Patricia Kirkhart of Heartwell, GA. as well as 16 grandchildren, 27 great grand children and 2 great-great grand children. She was preceded in death by her parents, all her siblings and 4 grandchildren. In keeping with the family's wishes, donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association in lieu of flowers.