Charles D. Hemmings

We are here to celebrate the life of Charles D. Hemmings. He was born to the late Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins Hemmings on May 16, 1949 in New York City. His family lived on 148th Street and Riverside Drive before moving to Red Hook Projects. He attended East New York High School where he studied engineering; however he decided to join the Air Force in 1968 during the Vietnam War at the age of eighteen. He completed his GED and furthered his education while in the military. He obtained an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice while serving four years in the Air Force. After the war, he continued serving our country at Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino as a Military Police K-9 Handler. At the same time, Charles perfected his skills on the basketball court. This is where his nickname “Ezie” derived.

In 1967, Charles was blessed with his first daughter, Ronnie Sheree with Edna Salley. In August of 1971 he married Janet Carter. They were then blessed with his second daughter Tana Michelle Hemmings in October of 1972. Then, in February of 1976, Charles remarried and was blessed with a third daughter, Shaniqwa Hemmings with wife Twana Price. In 1980, he was blessed yet again with his first son Charles Zakir Hemmings with Julia K. Green. In 1982, Charles and Julia had their second blessing, a son by the name of Cory D. Hemmings. In 1992 Charles met Wendy Lee Allen. He also met Nathan Allen whom he was blessed to have become his third son. In October of 1993, he was blessed his fourth son, Cameren Daniel Hemmings. Finally, in November of 2001, Charles had his youngest daughter Torri Madison Hemmings with wife Wendy.

Growing up, Charles was an outgoing and adventurous child with the tendency to bring home stray animals. He enjoyed playing with them around the house and teasing his sisters with lizards and insects. This passion for animals led him to work for the San Bernardino County Animal Control.

He worked there for nine and a half years, starting as a licensed officer, canvassing problem areas of San Bernardino County. He was then promoted to Animal Control Officer where he handled the pickup of large animals and was called when livestock was loose. For a period of time, Charles left San Bernardino Animal Control to go back to school and further his education. He majored in Administration of Justice at Riverside Community College.

After completing his education in 1982, he became employed by the City of Norco as an Animal Control Officer. August 2012 marked his 30th year of serving the city of Norco. During his employment with the city of Norco, Charles was a part of the transition of the animal shelter. When he began, the shelter was a three room building at the end of a dirt road in Corona. With his help, it advanced to a sixteen kennel shelter with an administrative building that housed cats. It later advanced even further to a building and shelter that was over 2,500 sq. ft. Charles was also involved in the change of the licensing program that allowed people to license pets up to three years in advance, but he did not stop there. He worked along with Norco Animal Rescue Team ensuring the safety of animals, overseeing animal rights at professional rodeos, and educating the public on proper animal care.

Needless to say, Charles D. Hemmings was a blessing to many lives whether it be animal or human. He will now be reuniting with several loved ones that preceded him, his father Charles H. Hemmings( 1996), his mother Mattie Lee Hemmings( 2013),his sister Noreen Hemmings Gale( 2008), and Gwen Murray( 2014), his niece Serita Ivory(1999)and his first son Charles Z. Hemmings( 2005). He leaves to cherish his children, his grandchildren DeyJuan (Stephanie) Hemmings, Danielle Hemmings, Ra’Shay (Taquan) Hemmings, CJ Hawkins, Ayanna Hemmings, Cory Hemmings, and his great granddaughters Alahni Hill and Olivia Hemmings. In addition, he leaves his older brother Michael (Ethel) Ivory and his youngest sister Belinda (Edgar) Hemmings and a host of aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, cousins, and friends.