Bettye Hemphill's Obituary
Bettye Lane Breaux Hemphill March 17, 1944 - March 14, 2023
Born March 17, 1944 in Mermentau Louisiana to the union of Mabel and Harrison Breaux Sr.
As a very young girl, Bettye's family relocated to San Francisco in the 1950s where Bettye would attend local primary schools and then made the move back to Louisiana to attend Southern University in Baton Rouge.
Bettye returned to the San Francisco Bay Area and the year after was blessed with her son Justin Duhon. Bettye was a very passionate and intelligent young woman in the midst of the 1960/70s in San Francisco. Her passion for social and racial justice kept her engaged with Politics and Education and gave her a front row seat to The Civil Rights movement. It was during these remarkable times Bettye met and married her husband, Lloyd Hemphill. Their union was blessed in 1976 with a daughter Cecily Kemi Hemphill and in 1978 with a son Brandon Jeffrey Hemphill.
As a single mother she attended the University of California and in 1991 earned her B.A. in Economics graduating Magna Cum Laude and gave the commencement address. She was the recipient of several awards from University of California at Berkeley, such as, Student life Achievement Award, Certificate of Academic Excellence, and Alpha Epsilon Phi Re-Entry Achievement Award, just to name a few. Having made Oakland her home she continued to raise her children Cecily and Brandon with an unshakable focus on working hard to advance and to better their lives for the decades to come. Bettye applied this focus on others as well, giving support and direction to many family members as well as friends on the path to a higher education.
As a mentor she practiced patience and encouragement while keeping a steady eye on their goals. Bettye lived by example and applied her accomplishments to an amazing career in international shipping at American President Lines, where she worked until she retired. She went on to be one of the most respected shipping and trade negotiators …so much so, after her retirement in 2008 she continued to work as a consultant.
Bettye was a lifetime lover of culture and her interests included classical music, her love of jazz and films. She was able to travel to many places including the Louvre in France, the Alhambra in Granada Spain along with festivals here and abroad. Bettye loved books. In addition to being an avid reader of many genres she loved history. Her hobbies and passions were varied and reflected her open mind and eagerness to always learn.
Bettye was often joined by her close friends to attend the San Francisco Symphony or Opera and especially cherished the 2010 production of “Placido Domingo". On occasions like these Bettye and her friends would be dressed to the nines in their full-length beaded gowns. The holiday season brought her to the ballet to see the Nutcracker and she enjoyed Alvin Alley dance troupe whenever possible. At home she would enjoy a wide array of documentaries as well as talk radio and an occasional bowl of vanilla ice cream.
Bettye is survived by her two sons Justin Duhon of West Lake LA (61), Brandon Hemphill of Oakland CA (45) and her daughter Cecily Hemphill (47) of Houston TX. Others that will miss her dearly include her sister, 11 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren along with many cousins, other relatives and close family friends.
Bettye Hemphill was a beacon of light for all that knew her. She radiated promise with an elegant grace.
Bettye was a true renaissance woman. She will be forever loved.
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