Mr. James Landon "Mike" Hemphill Jr.

HEMPHILL, Mr. James Landon Jr. "Mike" - Age 70, passed away Friday, December 18, 2020 at McLaren-Flint. Family hour 10:00 AM Saturday, January 2, 2021 from the Chapel of Lawrence E. Moon Funeral Home, 906 W. Flint Park Blvd., with funeral service commencing at 11:00 AM Pastor Kenneth L. Stewart, officiating. Interment Sunset Hills Cemetery, G-4413 Flushing Rd. Friends and pallbearers will assemble at the funeral home 10:00 AM Saturday. Mr. Hemphill will lie in state in the Chapel of Lawrence E. Moon Funeral Home and may be viewed from 9:00 AM -3:00 PM Thursday, December 31, 2020 and Saturday, January 2, 2021 from 8:00 AM - until the time of service. James has been the listening ear, the counselor, the coach, the rock, and the nucleus of his family, being everything to everyone, being present whenever he was needed. Mr. James Landon “Mike” Hemphill Jr. was born on May 29, 1950 in Flint, Michigan, the son of James Sr. and Willetta Jean Hemphill. He was a lifelong resident of Flint, MI and grew up in the neighborhood of St. John and Industrial Street. James proved to be a star athlete at a young age with his love and enthusiasm for the sport of tennis. James started playing tennis at an early age at the St. John Community Center and he played in the teenage division with other tennis players aged 12-16. He represented the St. John Community Center under the coaching of Mrs. Louise Crooms, and he was the #1 State Tennis Champion in the State of Michigan, undefeated in his division (12-16-year-old); he gained notoriety and recognition throughout the State and on the local level in the City of Flint, MI. He played on the clay courts of the Flint Tennis Club, at the St. John Community Center, and on various tennis courts throughout the State of Michigan. James attended Flint Community Schools and graduated from Flint Northern High School “Class of 1968.” James “Mike” worked for General Motors for 33 years: At the Fisher Body Plant from 1975-1994 as a Production Worker/Quality Inspector and as a Hi-Lo/Fork Truck Driver at GMSPO from 1994 until his retirement in 2008. James has always been family-oriented and lived by the phrase “Family First.” While he was working for GM, he met and married his lovely wife, Deborah. Their love began to blossom, and they raised four children together: Altura “Andre,” Jamil, Te’sah, and Karin; rearing a family and making a home for them is what truly made him happy. Throughout the years, as James raised his four children, he believed in providing them with a foundation of their African American history, stressing the importance of voting and the political process, being self-sufficient, obtaining a higher education with college degrees, having life skills such as communication skills, building and maintaining relationships, job stability, housing stability, self-respect, respect for others, finances, and family. It was to James’s joy to counsel, coach, mentor, educate, and uplift his children throughout their childhood and adult years when his children would turn to him for advice on relationships, getting and keeping a job, career pathways, raising their children, personal life stressors, and any other topic that James’ children could think of, they could speak to their father about without judgement or ridicule. James “Mike” continued this legacy with his grandchildren as well, when they would get in a bind or needed some advice, they knew who to turn to, the family counselor, confidante, and coach, their grandfather, James “Mike.” James was a highly intelligent person, funny, down-to-earth, respectful, empathetic, kind-hearted, reserved, and the type of person who would meet people where you were and not judge them. James was never the type of person to look down on others because they were going through a bad patch in life; instead, he would ask if he could be of assistance. James never met a stranger; to know him was to love him. He believed in the phrase “Live and let live.” He wanted the people around him to feel free to be themselves, live their truth, make their own choices, and be original to who they were. James was truly a people person. He enjoyed meeting new people, mentoring young people and adults, spending time with family and friends, playing cards, attending car shows, watching sports (football and basketball), traveling, listening to music, going to music festivals and supporting local artists with live music in the following music genres-Jazz, Hip Hop, R & B, and Gospel, trying new foods and exploring new restaurants, studying African-American history and teaching African-American history to the youth and young adults, watching and gaining knowledge on the following topics: current events, African American History, World History and World Affairs, documentaries, investigative TV, discussing politics and world affairs, and improving and uplifting the neighborhoods and community. He was a trained Barber and enjoyed cutting people’s hair in the neighborhood. He was patient, authentic, intuitive, generous, fair, and had a great sense of humor. He was fun to be around. His love of life and his love for people were evidenced by the activities he was involved in. James “Mike” Landon, Jr., leaves to cherish his memories: children, Altura Andre Stallings of Flint, Michigan, Jamil (Deondra) Stallings of Swartz Creek, Michigan, Te’sah Hemphill of Loganville, Georgia, and Karin Hemphill of Mount Morris, Michigan; siblings, Joseph (Jennifer) Reynolds of East Orange, New Jersey, Leonard (Gwen) Hemphill of Flint, Michigan, Brenda Hemphill of West Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and Marcus Johnson of Flint, Michigan; grandchildren, Nakiyah Delph, Vashari Jones, Jamia Stallings, Makaylah Delph, Jakia Stallings, Edrece Delph, Ki’Shon Davis, Nolin Hemphill, Nia Hemphill, Averi Stallings, Adonis Ragland; great-grandchildren, Amere Cornelius and Ni’ovia Delph; uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces, nephews; in-laws, Roger Stallings, Jr., Karen (Raymond) Felder, Vincent (Jennifer) Stallings, Reginald (Lisa) Stallings; special friends, Gene Lee, Stu, Mr. Alvin, Valerie "Poochy", Jason Gardner and family, Johnnie Ray, LT, and Raymond Felder; and many other relatives survive. James “Mike” Landon, Jr., was preceded in death by wife, Deborah; grandson, Ashton Savoy Ragland; parents, Willetta Jean & James Hemphill, Sr.; mother and father-in-law, Lily & Roger Stallings, Sr.

Mr. James Landon "Mike" Hemphill Jr.

May 29, 1950 - December 18, 2020