Legacy of the Land: Remembering Eddie Lee Hemp
To look at the life of Eddie Lee Hemp is to look at the very fabric of Mason, Tennessee. When he passed away on Friday, May 15, 1998, at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Tipton in Covington, he was 92 years old. In those nine decades, Eddie didn’t just witness history—he lived it through the steady, quiet rhythm of a Southern farmer, leaving behind a legacy as deeply rooted and enduring as the West Tennessee soil he spent his lifetime cultivating.
A Life Tied to the Soil
Retirement is a word often found in obituaries, but for a true farmer like Eddie, the land never really leaves you. To spend a lifetime farming in Tipton County meant understanding the patience of the seasons, the unpredictability of the weather, and the value of hard, honest labor. Eddie belonged to a generation that knew the value of a handshake, the meaning of a long day’s work under the sun, and the quiet satisfaction of a successful harvest.
His hands were shaped by decades of labor—hands that provided for his family, nurtured crops, and built a foundation for generations to come. In Mason, men like Eddie were the backbone of the community, serving as steady pillars whom neighbors could count on.
“To spend ninety-two years on this earth is a blessing; to spend them building a family and working the earth is a testament to an extraordinary strength of character.”
A Partnership of Faith and Love
At the center of Eddie’s long life was his beloved wife, Etta Mae Davis-Hemp. Their partnership was the anchor of the Hemp family. Together, they weathered the changes of the 20th century, holding fast to their values, their family, and their faith.
That faith will be celebrated where Eddie’s community gathered: at the Cedar Grove Missionary Baptist Church. On Wednesday at noon, family, friends, and old neighbors will fill the pews to sing hymns, share memories, and give thanks for his long, beautiful journey. Following the service, Eddie will be laid to rest at St. Matthew’s Cemetery—returning finally to the earth he spent his life tending.
A Legacy Blooming Across the Miles
While Eddie remained close to his roots in Mason, the branches of his family tree stretched far and wide, carrying his values across the country. His children, Mary Malissie Epps of Memphis and Eddie Lee Hemp Jr. of Hazel Crest, Illinois, took their father’s lessons of resilience and integrity into their own lives. His siblings, too, found homes in northern industrial hubs—his sister Mary Smith in Cleveland, Ohio, and his brother James Hemp in Markham, Illinois—reflecting the grand stories of the Great Migration, even as Eddie kept watch over the family’s Southern roots.
Perhaps his greatest pride, however, lay in the future. With 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren, Eddie lived long enough to see his legacy bloom in the laughter and lives of a whole new generation. They will grow up hearing stories of the patriarch who lived to be 92, who loved the land, and who showed them what it means to live a life of quiet dignity.
Summary of Remembrance
- Arrangements: Mason Funeral Home
- Homegoing Service: Wednesday, 12:00 PM, Cedar Grove Missionary Baptist Church
- Resting Place: St. Matthew’s Cemetery
- Surviving Family: Wife, Etta Mae; children, Mary Malissie and Eddie Lee Jr.; siblings, Mary and James; 10 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren.
Mason – Eddie Lee Hemp, 92, retired farmer, died of heart failure Friday at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Tipton in Covington. Services will be at noon Wednesday at Cedar Grove Missionary Baptist Church with burial in St. Matthew’s Cemetery. Mason Funeral Home has charge. Mr. Hemp, the husband of Etta Mae Davis-Hemp, also leaves a daughter, Mary Malissie Epps of Memphis; a son, Eddie Lee Hemp Jr. of Hazel Crest, Ill.; a sister, Mary Smith of Cleveland, Ohio; a brother, James Hemp of Markham, Ill., 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
[The Commercial Appeal, Tuesday, May 19, 1998]