LILLIAN C. HEMENWAY, a long- time resident of Warsaw. NY, 101 years old, went home to be with her Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, on September 14, 2011.She has been looking forward to being with Him for many years.
Lillian was born June 9, 1910, in Bennington, NY, to Clyde and Mary Cooper. The Coopers moved to Warsaw in the early 1920's. Lillian graduated from Warsaw High School in 1927. She was active in the First Baptist Church of Warsaw youth group (Christian Endeavor) and sang in the choir most of her life with frequent voice and violin solos and duets with her husband. In the 1930's she was featured in radio broadcasts from Rochester, NY, with other violinists from Warsaw. She studied violin and was in the Batavia Symphony Orchestra.
After high school she worked as a medical secretary at the old hospital in the present Zeches building. During World War II, she was in charge of a lot of the operation of the hospital, as her boss went to war. She left the hospital in 1946. She was a church treasurer and helped with bookkeeping at Cooper, Hemenway & Rowley Agway (GLF.)
Lillian was pre-deceased by her husband of 51 years, Vinton S. Hemenway, her sister and her husband Hazel and Burrell Rowley, her husband's brother Albert Hemenway, her son-in-law Frank J.O'Neill and her nephew David Rowley. She is survived by her son John Hemenway and his wife Gerd Brita of Leominster, Ma, her daughter Joyce O'Neill of Washingtonville, NY, her niece Olive Rowley of Warsaw, her niece Audrey Anaya of Spokane, Wa, her Grandchildren David Hemenway, Michael O'Neill, Erin O'Neill Ferraro, Frank O'Neill, and Stephen Hemenway and five great grandchildren.
Visiting will be at Weeks Funeral Home 123 N. Main St. Warsaw, Saturday, September 17, 2011, at 10 am. The funeral will follow at 11 am with Reverend Keith Miller of the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Hamlin as celebrant.
Memorial gifts may be sent to: Gideons International, P.O. Box 661, Fitchburg, MA. 01420 or to The First Baptist Church of Warsaw Memorial Fund, 65 South Main St, Warsaw, NY 14569.