Julian Hemphill Jr.

1946 - 2025

Julian Hemphill,Jr.
10/23/1946 - 12/16/2025
Julian Hemphill Jr., known as Jay throughout the 79 years of his life, passed away on December 16th, 2025, in his adopted and beloved city of San Francisco. Jay was heroically devoted to his family and was a respected general contractor in San Francisco for four decades.
He was born on October 23, 1946, in New York City, the second of six children of Julian and Anne Hemphill. Jay enjoyed an idyllic childhood in the shore town of Rumson, New Jersey. He went across the state to Princeton for his high-school years at the Hun School, where he excelled as a three-sport athlete in football, wrestling and crew.
Jay went on to Boston University, where he spent two years, earned an associate degree, and met his future wife, Dennise Carlson. He joined the U.S. Air Force in 1967 and made a four-year commitment, including an overseas assignment in South Korea. Two years into his enlistment, Jay married Dennise in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. He was honorably discharged from the military as a sergeant in 1971.
Later that year, Jay and his wife hopped into their red VW bus and set out for San Francisco. Jay started earning a living there as a car mechanic, while also furthering his education at San Francisco State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1974. Jay settled in Cole Valley, raising a family of three children in a lovely home that he maintained for over 40 years. He also provided his family with a remote, rural experience after investing in a plot of land in Ukiah in the early 1970s and eventually building a cabin from scratch on the off-the-grid site.
Jay transitioned from car repairs to independent contracting in the mid-1970s, focusing mostly on remodeling jobs. After partnering with others for a few years, he launched Hemphill Construction Company in 1984. He ran the company for 36 years, establishing a reputation as a fine craftsman and a diligent record-keeper.
In the early 1990s, after Jay's marriage ended, he became a single father to his three children, who revered him as their mentor and hero. Every day, he transformed hardship and pain into stability. He showed compassion and generosity, and modeled strength and unwavering love. Early in the new millennium, Jay began a relationship with Kelly Veilleux. They married on Christmas Eve 2017. Kelly was a loving companion to Jay for 20 years, and she was a devoted caregiver over the difficult final five years of his life.
Jay had a large personality. He loved to socialize and was always the life of the party. He enjoyed walking along the ocean, at Ocean Beach and in Carmel, and around Blue Heron Lake. He was an ardent 49ers fan and an aficionado and collector of fast cars. And he loved children, who were smitten by his animated gestures and silly faces.
Jay is survived by his wife, Kelly Veilleux; his daughters, Kelly (Joe Mangine) of Boulder Creek, Calif., and Krissy (Jon Gary) of Eugene, Oregon; his son Julian (Lexi) of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; stepdaughter Imah Veilleux; grandson Nico Mangine; granddaughter Sade Noriega; brothers Cliff of Ewing, N.J., Joe (Robin) of Rumson, N.J., and Lex (Nancy Melich) of Salt Lake City; sisters Anne Fischer (Matthew) of Vernon, Conn., and Mollie Smith of Medfield, Mass.; sister-in-law and dear friend Leslie Carlson of Sturbridge, Mass.; and many devoted friends, nieces, nephews and in-laws.
A celebration of Jay's life will be held on March 28, 2026 from 3p – 8p at Mission Rock in San Francisco.