J. Julian Hemley

John Julian Hemley of Falls Church, VA, widely recognized for his work in the geochemistry of ore deposits and economic geology, passed away peacefully at home on April 10, 2026, surrounded by family. Julian, also known as JJ, was the husband of Virginia Hemley and father of Russell, Ginette, and Curtis. He was born in El Paso, TX, on November 8, 1926, to Myron R. Hemley and Marion (Hughey) Hemley. He lost his mother when he was four years old and was raised by his sisters and close family friends. Growing up in the dusty environs of El Paso in the 1930s, he had fond memories of the borderlands, including frequent trips into the desert mountains of Northern Mexico and riding horseback in search of precious metal deposits with his father, a prospector and mining man, and later farmer and rancher in Columbus, NM.

Julian attended Austin High School in El Paso, graduating in 1943. With the War in full tilt, he had already worked as a welder's assistant in the famous Swan Island Shipyard in Oregon and in 1944 enlisted in the U.S Army Air Forces. He enrolled in the Texas College of Mines and Metallurgy (now the University of Texas at El Paso). Interested in science, history, and philosophy, Julian's exposure to mineral prospecting and growing up amid the remarkable rock formations of the Rio Grande Rift led him to major in geology, graduating with a B.S. in 1948.

Shortly out of college, Julian taught science at El Paso High School, where he met Helen Virginia Jones who taught English and journalism. They married on June 9, 1951. Already enrolled in Northwestern University, he moved his bride to Evanston, IL, where he conducted research in geochemistry and obtained a M.S. degree in 1953. After a short stint at Chevron Corp in Placentia, CA, the couple moved to Berkeley, CA, where he pursued a Ph.D. in geochemistry at the University of California. There, he developed new experimental techniques to understand the chemistry of ore deposition, earning his degree in 1958. His M.S. and Ph.D. theses and subsequent publications over the following four decades influenced the development of modern economic geology. Although his papers are still referenced in the scientific literature, his work was not often cited, even early on, because the techniques he pioneered and the principles he established quickly became accepted practice and common knowledge in the field. He was recognized by the Society of Economic Geologists with its highest awards, the R.A.F. Penrose Gold and Silver Medals, for his pathbreaking work.

Julian joined the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), first in Denver, CO, then at its Menlo Park (CA) headquarters, while he and his family lived in these cities and in Mountain View, CA. In 1968, he joined the Anaconda Corporation, moving the family to Salt Lake City, UT, where he helped build the company's first research laboratory. In 1973, he rejoined the USGS in Reston, VA, where he remained on the mineral resources research staff until he retired in 1995. He and his family lived in Oakton, VA, for more than 40 years, where he and Virginia regularly entertained guests, including hosting a famous annual Christmas eve fondue party, and enjoyed gardening and landscaping until Virginia passed away in 2014. He moved to Lake Barcroft in Falls Church, VA, to live with daughter Ginette and Larry Cirignano, son Curtis, his beloved caregiver and friend Dina Kobson, and a variety of other family members from alternative species.

Julian loved history and travel, and he and Virginia took adventurous trips to Europe, Asia, and Africa, and made regular visits with the family to a favorite spot in Akumal (Quintana Roo), Mexico. He always ensured that visitors to their Washington DC-area home received a proper immersion in the rich American history of the region. A lifelong animal lover, Julian enjoyed recounting childhood stories of his many pets, including a pair of coatimundis he rescued from a roadside market in Mexico.

Julian is survived by his children Russell Hemley of Chicago, IL; Ginette and Curtis Hemley of Falls Church; grandson Emerson Hemley of Philadelphia, PA; brother Robert Hemley of El Paso, TX. He is predeceased by his wife of 63 years, Helen Virginia Hemley, brothers Myron, Allen, and Dick, and his sisters Eleanor and Barbara. The family expresses their deep gratitude to the amazing caregivers who supported him during his final years, Dina Kobson, Amma Asamoah and Cindy Djan. Memorial contributions in his name may be made to the World Wildlife Fund and the Humane World for Animals.