D. Jean "Jeanie" Hemphill

MISSOULAâ�,��**– D. Jean "Jeanie" Hemphill, 71, was called home Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013. She was born as Dolores Jean James on Aug. 17, 1941, in Missoula to Donald and Lucille James. Immediately upon her birth, her paternal grandfather from Wales decided rather than Dolores, she would more appropriately be called "Little Jeanie." The name Dolores disappeared for the rest of her life.

Jeanie attended a one-room elementary school house in Woodworth, where because of her quick learning abilities, she skipped over the second grade. She graduated from Missoula County High School in 1958 at the age of 16. She then went to work in Helena for the Montana State Unemployment Commission as a stenographer.

In 1959, she and her very best friend, Sue Ann Root, decided to spread their wings and move to California. They found jobs there, but only stayed for a year, and homesickness brought them back to Montana. Jeanie then went to work for the Montana State Welfare System. In 1963, she took what was then the Civil Service Examination and was hired as a clerk typist by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service in Helena. From that point on, her career blossomed. She was transferred in 1969 to Chicago, where she was appointed only the second female in the United States to hold the title of United States immigration inspector.

Her career with the federal government then led her to fascinating jobs in Dallas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Anchorage, Alaska. She started her federal government career as a GS-4 clerk typist and retired in 1997 as a GS-14 deputy district director. Her temporary assignments during her career took her to the Dominican Republic, Thailand, Japan, Russia, Canada, Mexico, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and France. Upon her retirement in 1997, she moved back to her beloved Missoula.

While living in California and working full time, she attended Cypress College and Diablo Valley College in the evenings.

After the heartbreaks of three miscarriages and one stillborn baby boy, in June 1966 she was blessed with the birth of her healthy miracle twins – Curtis Alan and Candace Adele. They in turn married the loves of their lives and gave her three beautiful grandchildren.

Jeanie was proud of her Welsh heritage and made a trip to Wales in 2005 to meet her relatives there. She was a dog lover and owned several four-legged "babies" throughout her life. Among the things she enjoyed in life were bowling, golfing, playing guitar, working in the yard, fishing, reading, doing crossword puzzles, and spending time with family and friends. Give her a nice rare steak and a fine glass of Chardonnay wine and she was happy.

Jeanie is survived by son and daughter-in-law, Curtis and Laura Hemphill of Sparks, Nev.; daughter and son-in-law, Candace and Jack Harpole of Portland, Ore.; grandchildren, Lincoln and Samantha Hemphill and Zoie Harpole; sister-in-law, Teresa James; nephew, Toby James; and several aunts, uncles and cousins. She was preceded in death by her mother, Lucille James; father, Donald James; brother, Ronald James; and nephew, Jason James.

At Jeanie's request, no services will be held. Donations in her name may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children, 911 W. Fifth Ave., Spokane, WA 99204

Arrangements are under the care and direction of Garden City Funeral Home and Crematory

Read D. Hemphill's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.