Rita Faye Hemphill Ham - 62, passed away at University Hospital in Augusta, GA on Thursday, September 28, 2017 with her family at her side.
Born May 22, 1955 in Ashburn, GA to Willie Hemphill and Mildred Hines Hemphill Graham, Rita moved in 1969 to Fitzgerald, GA and attended Fitzgerald High School. Rita was a profoundly talented artist and had received a scholarship for art to the University of Kentucky.
After getting married and starting a family, Rita began working at Fitzgerald Water Light and Bond where she worked her way up from a dispatcher to bookkeeper. In 1983, she and her family moved to Hazlehurst, GA and she began working in sales at Lumber City Egg. After a few years, she worked her way up through the accounting department to Executive Assistant to the principals at Triple H Specialty.
In 1991, Rita left Triple H and Hazlehurst for Douglas and three years later, she got remarried to the love of her life, Robert, and gained two more children.
In 2012, Rita and her husband relocated to Augusta where she settled close to her two daughters and continued to work in various capacities at Georgia Military College and Nephrology Associates PC.
Rita had a love of life, for her family, and her pets. She was a spirited woman full of creativity and drive. If she didn’t know how to do something, she would keep working on it until she had it figured out. She enjoyed learning new things and was a passionate artist at heart. She taught herself how to make stained glass windows, do bookkeeping, to sew and to sketch and paint. She never saw obstacles in her path, only opportunities to learn and grow.
Her sweet spirit was a comfort to many and she will be missed greatly by all who knew and loved her.
She was preceded in death by her father, Willie Hemphill, her mother, Mildred Hines Hemphill Graham, her brother, Wayne Hemphill and her sister, Linda Hemphill Horne.
She leaves behind her husband, Robert Ham; her daughters, Michelle Anthony Hopper (Jamee) and April Anthony Harris (Dan), both of Augusta, GA, sons; Robert Ham Jr. (Sara) of Manassas, VA and David Ham (Jessica) of Bogart, GA. Also surviving are her grandchildren - Ryan Hopper, Gavin Harris, Eden Harris, Robert Daniel Ham, Benedict Ham, Joshua Ham, Isaac Ham, Rexford Ham, Jonathan Ham, Lanie Ham, Abigail Ham, and Jacob Ham. She is also survived by her brother, Don Hemphill (Jane) of Byron, GA and her sister, Gloria Ann Hemphill Fowler (Alton) of Macon, GA, several nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins and her fur babies - Chrissie and Dixie.
A memorial service will be held October 21, 2017 at 3 pm at Real Life Church, 2491 Gray Highway, Macon, Georgia 31211 with Elder Alton Fowler officiating. Family will receive friends prior to the service at 1pm at the church. Rita’s family is sincerely grateful for the care and comfort provided by the staff of University Hospital.