Nora P. Hemphill

ENTERED INTO LIFE

January 19th,1944 Bloomington, CA

TO

Manuella “Nellie” Gonzales

March 25th, 1917 San Bernardino, CA -

November 13th, 2007 Palm Desert, CA

AND

Nazario “Challo” Guillen

November 10th, 1910 Chihuahua, Mexico -

March 26th, 1945 San Bernardino, CA

MARRIED

Richard Jackson Hemphill, Sr.

March 10th, 1961 Las Vegas, NV

BECAME A MOTHER

December 25th, 1961

February 8th, 1964

WIDOWED

February 24th, 2019 Palm Springs, CA

ENTERED INTO REST

April 24th, 2026 Rancho Mirage, CA

SURVIVED BY

Nina Hemphill Yeckley, Daughter

Daniel Tomas Hemphill, Son

Richard J. Hemphill, Jr., Bonus Son

Bradly Wayne Yeckley, Son-in-Law

Jeffery Jackson Hemphill, Grandson

Cristin Jean Hemphill Stevens, Granddaughter

Rebecca Hemphill, Granddaughter

Brandon Hemphill, Grandson

Brylen Hemphill, Grandson

Jeremy Wayne Yeckley, Bonus Grandson

Garrett Elliott Yeckley, Bonus Grandson

Kalie Yeckley Duran, Bonus Granddaughter

Coltin Elliott Yeckley, Bonus Grandson

Cassandra Hemphill Murphey, Great Granddaughter

Aurora Hemphill, Great Granddaughter

Krista Rupelt, Great Granddaughter

Addison Rupelt, Great Granddaughter

Louis DiGrandi, Great Grandson

Isabella DiGrandi, Great Granddaughter

Leion Yeckley, Bonus Great Grandson

Fallyn Yeckley, Bonus Great Granddaughter

Sabriel Womack, Great Great Grandson

Nora Murphey, Great Great Granddaughter

Ellie Murphey, Great Great Granddaughter

Gunner Murphey, Great Great Grandson

NORA’S LIFE

Nora spent her early childhood with her mother and older sister by 11 years, Betty. They lived in her maternal grandmother and grandfather’s small house in San Bernardino, along with other aunts, uncles and cousins.

She never knew her father, because he died when she was 1 year old from injuries suffered after being hit by a car while crossing the street on his way home from a local guitar gig. She was told he was a musician by other family members, but other than that Nora did not know very much about her father. Her mother, Manuella, was superstitious, so she did not talk about him. In fact, according to Nora her mother resisted talking to her about most things. It was her way.

Nora’s mother was born 1917 in San Bernardino, CA to Theodore and Teloria Gonzales who immigrated from Mexico in 1900. Manuella was the middle child - 7th child of 14 - all born in California. As a child she lost an eye, and was considered “cursed” by others in her community. At one point in her childhood the family was offered money for her, but thankfully they refused the offer.

Nora remembered her grandmother, Teloria, as being strict and intimidating because she would use a switch to discipline her grandchildren. Yet she also recalled that Teloria tended to people in the neighborhood who were in need of meals and/or of medical attention, though they did not have much themselves. Nora talked about her making home remedies to help the sick or injured, and of her picking wild greens and mushrooms from open fields.

Some of Nora’s other childhood memories were of having venison on occasion when her uncles went hunting, but otherwise it was a steady diet of beans and rice. She spoke of having two school outfits, which she alternated putting them between the mattress at night to get the wrinkles out. She also recounted having to take turns in an outdoor bathtub with all of the cousins. Even as a young child, she thought it was “disgusting” to share bath water and complained that she always had to go last.

Nora left school in the 7th grade to work seasonally with her mother picking grapes in Salinas. At that point it was just the two of them because Betty had gotten married and moved out. This allowed her and her mother to move out of her grandmother’s home and rent their own little one room cottage close by.

At the age of 13 Nora was approached by a man who had recently moved into one of the other cottages with his 4 year old son. He was working two jobs to get back on his feet after going through a divorce, and needed someone to look after his son. That was a step up from picking grapes for her so she was happy to accept the job. The man’s name was Richard Hemphill Sr.

At 16 Richard asked her out, as was acceptable in those days even though he was 12 years her senior. At 17 they married. 9 months and 10 days later they had their first child, Christina (Nina). Daniel was born 3 years later.

During that same time Richard established an orange grove management business, and purchased a 10 acre grove in Redlands, with enough property to build a family home. Nora took classes at the local Junior College to learn how to keep the books, and type. That was the beginning of their entrepreneurial partnership that lasted almost 60 years until Richard’s passing in 2019.

For their first 10+ years together, Nora not only took care of the office duties, the kids and a large ranch house, but also tended to the vegetable garden, various fruit trees, and fed the barn animals which included chickens, a cow, a pig and a goat. She even milked the goat every morning. Nora learned to can fruit and vegetables, and to sew her own dresses. She would buy enough extra fabric to make Nina matching ones. She was fortunate to have the help of her mother who lived with the family at that time.

As a mother Nora was loving, fair and a lot of fun. She not only taught Nina to help in the office, but also how to dance and to bake. She was known for her rum fruit cake every holiday, and tortillas from scratch almost every week. She would often have wrestling matches with both Nina and Daniel until someone got a little hurt. She would let Daniel chase her and Nina all around the yard with a garden hose. Nora took great pleasure in making holidays and birthdays very special for her children because she was able to give them what she herself did not have growing up. She was famous for her teddy bear shaped birthday cakes.

Nora was incredibly wise given her upbringing and education level. She was adept at using logic as a disciplinary tool, and nearly always explained things to her children. Unlike her mother, she would respond to any and all questions asked because, as she once told Nina, she did not want to deprive her children of honest answers and explanations as she was. She lived up to that until her last days.

She was the kind of mother that her kids could not get anything over on either. That is to say that if Nina or Daniel even attempted to fib, she would know so it was not even worth trying. Nina can recall her first ethics lesson when at the age of 4 she accidentally brought home a candy bar from the market without it being paid for. When Nora discovered it she gathered up the kids to walk the mile+ back to the market, as she had not yet learned to drive, so Nina could apologize and return it.

She also valued and taught her children tolerance, as she herself encountered racism in the 60’s living in a much less diverse area compared to where she grew up. Nina can recall many instances where she was aware that her darker complected mother was treated differently. There were times when they had to step aside from the cash register at the grocery store while the manager called the bank to verify her check, or she was the last person to be waited on at a department store, or even how school officials would look at her when she showed up for parent meetings. Even as a child Nina was amazed by how her mother kept her head high, her tone respectful and always maintained her dignity in such situations.

In the early 70’s the family traded their ranch house and orange grove for a hot mineral spa in Desert Hot Springs. There Nora virtually ran the place single handed except for some help from the kids. This role brought out her love of all people and she genuinely enjoyed attending to guests. She soon developed a regular following from around the world who adored her and became part of her extended family.

When Richard got the idea to start a water truck business a few years later she took on those additional office duties and then some. She was involved in the field operations as well, often driving into Los Angeles to pick up parts and delivering to the job sites. She learned how to use a computer to make bookkeeping a little more efficient but nevertheless Nora worked extremely hard in those days. Even at one point she was selling propane!

From the mid 80’s into the 90’s Richard and Nora dabbled in real estate, buying and selling rental properties. But it was the purchase of undeveloped property in the unincorporated area of Desert Hot Springs which was the beginning of their final and enduring venture together.

They eventually subdivided their property to rent for storage which eventually evolved into construction yards, a few warehouses and even storage containers. They lived in a mobile home for a time before building their “retirement” home. Though she nor Richard ever actually retired.

Nora eagerly took on the task of learning yet another business and genuinely enjoyed getting to know tenants. Even as a “landlord” she still formed close relationships with most. When Richard passed in 2019 and up until her passing, she was still the boss and was involved in every aspect of managing the properties. Richard often referred to her as “the big boss,” and that she was.

When Nina retired from teaching to help Nora in the office, she was impressed not only by her mother’s recall of complex business matters dating back a few decades, but also by her knowledge of property details, such as the locations of specific trees, fences, electric meters, etc. She always had an excellent spatial recall, and mental math skills that often were quicker than Nina on the calculator.

In spite of working extremely hard for decades, Nora somehow always managed to make time for family. This was not always easy for her to accomplish since Richard was all about work, and a self-employed household is always on call. She remained close to both her children into their adulthood and was always there for them no matter what. Daniel was her right hand man in the field and Nina's “job” was to get Nora out of the office for regular mother-daughter outings. Though Nina could never convince her to travel, they did attend many concerts and theatrical performances together in addition to regular lunch, mani-pedi, facial and/or hair salon dates. For her 80th birthday, she allowed Nina to organize a party bus trip to Medieval Times for the family. She enjoyed herself immensely.

As her family grew both through procreation and through marriage, Nora’s heart expanded exponentially. Nothing made her happier than to bring joy to the younger generations. As a grandmother she thoroughly enjoyed spoiling her grandchildren, and she was almost always present for birthdays and special occasions with presents in hand. Though she made a point to teach gratitude when she felt it necessary. Cristin recalls one year when Grandma Nora took her to the mall for Christmas shopping only to have her choose a name from the giving tree for which to buy a present for. This had a lasting impact on her.

Nina’s husband, Brad, would always call her “the best mother-in-law in the world” and his daughter Kalie gave her the designation of “Nana,” both of which brought joy to her heart. Watching Nina parent for the first time in her mid 50's and into her 60s was especially endearing and often entertaining for Nora.

Throughout her life Nora also found much happiness in caring for animals. She once made friends with an aggressive gander by being the only one he'd let near enough to remove a thorn from his foot. She was adopted by many stray cats and even unlikely strays, such as a chicken, peacock and cockatiel. She tamed a feral cat who became her closest companion in her latter years. In addition to taking in many dogs over the years, she also took in a tortoise and a duck who were in need of a home and who happened to become buddies. All animals in her care got along together, even the stray cats and chickens and she had many photos to prove it.

She leaves behind an enduring legacy of love, strength, commitment, kindness and generosity of heart and spirit in harmony with the spiritual meaning of the name Nora, derived from Honora (Latin for honor) or a “person who lives with dignity, honor, and high moral standards” often symbolizing “a divine presence, inner illumination, and spiritual strength.” That was Nora.