Mable Hemmingway

HEMMINGWAY, Mother Mable - Age 101, after celebrating more than a century of love, Mother Hemmingway, affectionately called “Big Mama,” has been called from service to reward, Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at Willowbrook Manor. Family hour 10 a.m. Saturday, January 21, 2012 at Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, 4805 N. Saginaw St., with funeral service commencing at 11 a.m. Dr. Henry L. Fuller, Jr., officiating. Interment Sunset Hills Cemetery, G-4413 Flushing Rd. Friends and pallbearers will assemble at the church 10 a.m. Saturday. Mother Hemmingway will lie in state in the Chapel of Lawrence E. Moon Funeral Home, 906 W. Flint Park Blvd., and may be viewed from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday with family present from 4-6 p.m. Born Mable Lewis on July 31, 1910, in Albertville, Louisiana, Mable was the oldest child of Nannie Stanford Lewis and James Lewis. At age five, due to the untimely death of her mother, Mable and her siblings, Lillian, Anna, and Dorothy, were cared for by “Dear Aunt Easter,” until their dad moved the family to Whiteville, Louisiana and then on to West Monroe, Louisiana. There, he met and married Rosella Campbell Lewis and Mable was blessed with six more siblings, Geneva, Ester, Cordelia, Blanch, James, Jr. and Murdes. Mable accepted Christ at an early age. She spent her early years working on the family farm and assisting in rearing her siblings. Mable married Alfred Neal and eventually relocated to Pine Bluff, Arkansas where she was employed by the Holiday Inn as a Housekeeper for many years. She was a dedicated member of her church and its music ministry. Mable was the mother of two daughters, Doda Campbell Cabine and Joanna Neal Marchant. She moved to Flint in 1976 to be near her children. Mable united with Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church serving faithfully until her health began to fail. She enjoyed attending church school and through the years won several first place awards as top student. Mable served with the Deaconess/Mothers Ministry and loved hearing and sharing the word of God. Mother Hemmingway spent many years as a volunteer with the Foster Grandparents Program. She relished planting her yearly backyard garden and she adored the fellowship of the saints. Mother Hemmingway leaves to cherish her memory: 1 sister, Blanch Foster of West Monroe, LA; 5 granddaughters, Valerie (Bobby) Collins of McDough, GA, Marion Alston of Detroit, MI, Cheryl Adkins, Sandra Cabine and Charlotte Davis, all of Flint; several great-grandchildren, Reggie (Tara) Collins, Robert Marchant, Ramona (Rodney) Campbell, Damon Redmond, Charmayne Cabine, Courtney Cabine, Delquita (Toussaint) Bridges, Adrian (Miscoshia) Boyd, Shelitha (Elder James, II) Brown, and DeQuandre Alston; great-great grandchildren, Lorenzo Redmond, Kiara Coolin, Dajene’ McNair, Toussaint Bridges Jr., Tali-yah Bridges, Trinity Carter, Alexandria Carter, DeQuandre Alston Jr., Aaron Alston, Dia'na Boyd, Janessa Brown, Regine’ Collins, Bailey Collins, and Denzel Campbell; nieces, Bertha Smith, Lela Jackson and Mable Ford; nephews, Levi Campbell, T. D Smith, Jr. and Rufus Webster, Jr.; a host of beloved relatives and special friends including: Deacon Ron Orr, Loretta Clerkley, Ora Handley, Alene Hawkins, Bernice Barnes, Callie Miller, Beverly Burks, Helen Blair, Dr. Lillie McCain, Joyce McCain, Nancy Rozier and Danon Goodrum-Garland. Mother Hemmingway was preceded in death by her parents, Aunt Easter; husbands, Alfred Neal and Therlo Hemmingway; 1 brother and 8 sisters; daughters, Doda Cabine and Joanna Marchant; grandson-in-law, Charles Adkins; and prayer partner and “Son”, Deacon Clyde Blair. The family expresses special thanks to the staff of Willowbrook Manor for the exceptional care of Mother Hemmingway for many years, grandson-in-law, Richard “Greg” Heller for his companionship and ability to make her laugh, Rev. Robert Rawls (deceased) for sharing prayer and her favorite Psalms over many years, Gwenda Motley, for never ceasing to be her church school teacher, Pastor Henry Fuller, Sister Marilyn Fuller, The Mission Ministry and the entire Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church family for their prayers, visits, encouragement and love shared with Mother Hemmingway.

Mable Hemmingway

July 31, 1910 - January 10, 2012