For Greg and Family
My condolences to you on the passing of MJ your wife , mother and friend I was one of MJ roommates and sorority sister. at Penn. May the peace of God comfort and keep you.

Dear Greg, Jasmine and Dionne, please accept my heartfelt condolences on the passing of your beloved wife and mother. Mary Jane was a beautiful spirit and always the life of the party. We met at Penn when we pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. I’m sure all her sisters have fond memories of our impromptu stepping outside of Low Rise North until the wee hours. MJ had a gregarious laugh that could be heard across the yard. She was larger than life, fearless and up for any adventure.
May the beautiful memories and traditions that you have established as a family give you strength at this difficult time. I wish for you peace and comfort on the long, winding road that is called grieving. Losing someone so beloved is never easy. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Love Sharon Munroe, Pendana Fall ’78
“Wherever a beautiful soul has been there is a trail of beautiful memories”

For Greg and Family:
Trust you, your daughters, and the entire family are as well as can be expected, and you are having the best day you can manage. Please do brace yourselves and take things one day at a time.
Mary Jane was a beautiful human being in body and spirit. As you know, Greg, I met both of you at Penn, and Mary Jane and I went on to pledge AKA Sorority on the same line. We had many wonderful college experiences together, within and beyond the sorority. We were all blessed to know Mary Jane, and I loved it when you and Mary Jane got together, Greg. My Mother would use the term ‘evenly yoked’ to describe the two of you. I will just go with ‘you know it when you see it,’ and the rest is history.
She was a uniquely genuine, caring, and authentic person. When you met Mary Jane, you encountered the genuine human being that she was, and you experienced that same person in all follow-on interactions. That is what made her so admirable and memorable. She did not pretend to be anyone other than Mary Jane. Moreover, she was always ready and able to make others feel better—whether by sharing a timely joke, making a funny face, or doing whatever she deemed the situation required to lift the person’s mood and spirit. She was simply wonderful and caring that way.
I pray that all of you will find comfort in knowing that her grace, kindness, compassion, and spirit will live on through those she has left behind. May God bless, rest, and keep her soul.
Stay very strong and blessed,
Roxanne

Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Mary Jane and I were classmates at Westover School from 1974-1977. She and Cynthia lived right across the hall from me and Lori. She was an outstanding student, athlete, President of our class. But what I remember most is her wonderful, warm personality and her laughter. She was an excellent friend.
I had the pleasure of meeting her parents on a couple of occasions- and they were just like her- it was so easy to see where she got her charm and personality from.
I will always remember her and the time we spent together as some of the best times.
My deepest condolences to her family.
Susan (Magnoli) Thompson

Wow!! How lucky am I to have seen you almost everyday for the past 10 years! So glad God put us together!! I will forever miss our LONG(sorry Greg) conversations, laughs, and good ole cries together! Till we meet again my friend..and we will...I will cherish all the memories and laughs...and will forever miss you (my Angel)!!

I met Mary Jane Mitchell Hemmings in 1982 in a training class at Reliance Insurance Company.
By the end of the 6 month training class, 4 of us became very close and remain close to this day, and we are “the girls” – Nancy, Mary Jane, Mimi and Suzanne, also known as Nano, MJ, Mimer and Suzy. But MJ always called us by our real names.
One vivid 1982 memory – every morning MJ would buy breakfast at the Brown Buffet across the street from Reliance, that she called ‘the Buffett’. It was always an orange soda and some ungodly breakfast sandwich. (I’m going to the Buffett, you girls want anything??)
Any time spent with MJ was always a fun time, even at the office, because she knew how to make everything fun. But we also shared our personal stories and always truly supported each other. She was a great person and a great friend and I am so happy to have met her and to have known her.
We lost touch over the years but she recently ‘found’ me in early 2018 and “the girls” were able to reconnect a few times, picking up conversations after 25 years like we just spoke the day before. She had that way of cutting through all the red tape and speaking from her heart, as all of “the girls” do – the best group of girlfriends I’ve ever had.
Whether it was an in person conversation or in a text, MJ always spoke of her family and how happy she was sharing her life adventures with Greg and how proud she was of Dionne and Jasmine and how she loved her grandbabies!! She loved her family dearly and always brought us up to date on family events and news. I feel like I know you all from her stories. My heart is heavy with sorrow for all the family for your tremendous loss. Think of all the joy, laughter and love MJ brought to so many people and I hope that helps to ease your pain.
She will be in my heart forever and she will be my friend forever. Rest in peace girlfriend.
Love, Mimi McCullough

My sincere condolences go out to Greg and MJ’s family. I met MJ when she pledged AKA at UPenn and I was a neophyte. She was a sweet, funny & dependable girl, a real “Ride or Die” type of person. I remember when Greg was her boo at Penn, and they exhibited a special bond back then; I’m not surprised they lasted for 38 years! RIP MJ, you are now a precious “Ivy Beyond The Wall” and will truly be missed. 💗💚💗 Gamma Epsilon Strong.

I am shocked and saddened by the news of MJ's passing. She was one of the most important people in my life during Penn undergrad. We roomed together and became quite close. Her parents allowed me to use their address as my domicile to assist me in applying to Penn Vet. We both dated football players and spent loads of time at 4040 Walnut with Greg, Ricky, James, and the rest of the crew. I was proud to be one of her bridesmaids at her and Greg's wedding.

Greg, I know you and your girls are deeply grieving right now. I hope you are celebrating MJ's life even as you mourn her passing.

Much love,
Monique

MJ was such an anomaly to me when we met. I was in high school and struggling with my own mom. And MJ was so happy and welcoming and silly! I didn’t even know moms could be like that! Then as I got older and Dionne and I shared a post-college apartment, Mrs. Hemmings co-signed our lease for me and I was similarly amazed that anyone would “invest” in me like that. I smiled each time I saw her and thought of her and talked to Dionne about her. She and Mr. Hemmings were one of my first examples of a long term Black marriage, of financial stability and planning and their example sits with me still. She celebrated life and the small solace of this terrible shock is that we know MJ had fun! She laughed loud and made the joke and had the party! She loved fully and in a way that her family and friends felt so clearly.

Sending so much love and wishes for peace to the Hemmings and the Harrells.

Love,
Pamela (German), Mike, Myki and Máximo Fuller

I am shocked and saddened by the news of MJ's passing. She was one of the most important people in my life during Penn undergrad. We roomed together and became quite close. Her parents allowed me to use their address as my domicile to assist me in applying to Penn Vet. We both dated football players and spent loads of time at 4040 Walnut with Greg, Ricky, James, and the rest of the crew. I was proud to be one of her bridesmaids at her and Greg's wedding.

Greg, I know you and your girls are deeply grieving right now. I hope you are celebrating MJ's life even as you mourn her passing.

Much love,
Monique

I met Mary Jane this first week of college. MJ was hilarious and so full of life. I thought " wow" I hope college is just like MJ!. She was always engaging and upbeat. After college our paths separated but I saw her at James Nichols' party in DC. It was like old times with loads of laughs. Despite life's challenges, MJ kept it real and rose above. It was a privilege to know MJ and Greg. My deepest condolences to the Mitchell/ Hemmings family. Rest well my dear friend until we meet again.
Lynne D. Diggs, M.D.

Mary Jane was the first person I met when I moved into our dorm freshman year at Penn. We became inseparable. We joined the Gospel choir, pledged AKA on the same line, were roommates and in each other's weddings. She was funny, engaging and that person everyone wanted to be around. I had the joy to know her husband, parents and siblings and spent many weekends with her in Berwyn. We had a lifelong bond and I will miss my forever friend. 💖

My dear cousin, I am so saddened by her passing. My heart aches for her family. Last time I visited her home she was the perfect host. In typical Mary Jane style she kept our time together fun and full of stories about her UofP days. her grandkids, and memories of my grandparents. I will never forget your smile, laughter and positive energy. I can't say enough how much I will miss you.

My lil cuz..like a lil sister..we all grew up together.you always made us all so proud.."mary jane"as i always called you..
God called you home..welcomed by your mom &sister&other loved ones.God said"job well done".Be that forever guardian angel for Greg,Dionne&Jasmine❤

I met MJ in college. She was one of the warmest, funniest, and most loving people I have ever known. We became friends and sisters while pledging AKA. Although life took us on different paths and we didn’t talk as often as we promised, we never had to catch up, it was like we spoke yesterday. Her spirit and smile always lit up the room. She loved Greg and her family with all of her soul. She was so excited to be a Grandmom and very proud of her daughters, I will miss all of the conversations we will never get to have but I know that we will see each other again. Until then, I will cherish our 40 years of friendship.

We met by chance and became friends by choice. There was nothing I didn't like about MJ. We laughed and joked, and also had serious, heart-to-heart conversations. We shared of love for life and family, enjoyed lunches at Woodbury Station Cafe over a bottle of wine, and talked about everything. She was a remarkable woman who has left an indelible mark on my life.

To my aunt who was a second mom to me and my family, I love you and my heart breaks not having you here on earth with us. I will cherish all the memories I had with you. Your love, support, and laughter is irreplaceable. You will be in my heart forever. Your niece, Lisa.