Joycele Hemphill passed away after a brief bout with cancer on October 2, 2014, at the age of 59.
Joycele was born on March 18, 1955 in Stillwater, Oklahoma to Nettie Ellen Campbell Hemphill and Samuel Floyd Hemphill. Joycele graduated from C.E. Donart (Stillwater) High School in 1973. She proudly edited her high school yearbook, Confusion '73, which won many honors. She continued her interest in journalism at Oklahoma State University, where she earned her B.S. in Business Administration in 1977. She was a staunch supporter of the OSU Cowboys, holding football season tickets for many years even after she moved away from Stillwater.
Her family built, owned and operated 51 Motel in Stillwater until 1980. She enjoyed running firework stands in the summers. In 1978, Joycele put her degree to good use owning and operating a popular bar, JD&Co. She later worked for Ropers Stillwater Hatchery before moving to Anacortes, Washington, where she worked for Specialty Seafoods. In 1986, Joycele moved to Dallas, Texas and began a 28 year career in telecommunications for Sprint, which resulted in relocation to Olathe, Kansas. Through reorganizations and mergers, her career concluded at Ericsson.
Her work family was extremely important to Joycele. She was a friend and mentor to so many colleagues throughout her career, as evidenced by the support shown by them during her brief illness.
Joycele was preceded in death by her parents, Nettie and Floyd. She is survived by her sisters, Janet Kinnick, Dallas, TX., Jackie Johnson, Sand Springs, OK., JoElla Hansen, Broken Arrow, OK.; her nieces Terri Kinnick Arnold, Oklahoma City, OK., and Nicole Hansen, Broken Arrow, OK.; her nephews Barry Caldwell, Sand Springs, OK., Bryan Caldwell, Sand Springs, OK., Brent Caldwell, Tulsa, OK., William F. "Dub" Kinnick, Oceanside, CA., and Chris Hansen, Houston, TX. She leaves behind heartbroken friends including Mary Guerriero of Olathe and Joe Hale of Miami, Ok.
A celebration of Joycele's life will be held in Kansas City at the Hollywood Casino on November 1, 2014. Her ashes will be interred beside her parents at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Stillwater, Ok on November 28, 2014 with a private service.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift in her honor to the Kansas City Hospice House via www.KansasCityHospice.org (please copy and paste the URL address into your browser) or to the Oklahoma State University Foundation, PO Box 1749, Stillwater, OK., 74049-1749.