Gregory Hugh Hampton

Hampton, Gregory Hugh passed peacefully surrounded by family, from this world to eternal life with God on March 13, 2012. Greg was a beloved son and brother, a proud father of one, and a close friend to many. Greg was born to Alice H. Price and Gifford H. Hampton Jr. (deceased) on January 22, 1947 in Hartford City, Indiana. He was the second of six lively, loud, and unfailingly loyal siblings including brothers Gifford (Patti), Joel (Melinda) and Steve (Young Ju); and sisters Michele (Ramon Stewart) and Debra (Don Thorne). Greg grew up a natural athlete, excelling in any sport he tried. He was an all-city basketball player for Williamsville High School near Buffalo, New York, once scoring 39 and 41 points in consecutive games. He also received a varsity letter in volleyball. Greg continued an active lifestyle as an adult, seeking powder snow along the tree lines on his snowboard for the past 25 years in Vail, Colorado. Greg graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1969. In the early 1970's he moved to St. Louis, Missouri where he founded Emperial Specialty Chemicals, a company that specializes in selling cleaning chemicals to coal mines across the Midwest. He made lifelong friends with many of his customers. After retiring in his early 40s, Greg traveled the world. During his travels, he met and made more lifelong friends. Greg was an expert at cultivating and maintaining loyal friendships. He sent hundreds of birthday cards each year, and never failed to call the day of a friend or family member's birthday. Greg also loved children. He enjoyed babysitting his many friends' children, teaching bible school classes for youth at his church, and coaching various baseball and basketball teams. One particular child changed Greg's life. In the early 1990's friends asked Greg to be the Godfather of a two-year-old boy named Kacey. Seven years later, Greg adopted Kacey and began a journey as a committed and involved father. Greg and Kacey also traveled the world together, always a surprise to Kacey to where they were going. Greg bought a motor home and made trips to Canada and several national parks. Greg instilled his love of baseball to Kacey and one summer they visited 12 major league ballparks across the country. Greg taught Kacey to snow ski from his snowboard - not an easy thing to do. One summer Greg took Kacey on an adventure to visit every house Greg ever lived in. This past October, Greg and Kacey got to go to a Cardinals world series game - a thrill for them both. Greg fought Acute Myeloid Leukemia for the greater part of the last year, undergoing various regimes of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant. Despite his hard-fought battle, Greg's cancer proved too aggressive for current treatment options. Services: A Memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 17 at Grace Episcopal Church, 514 Argonne Drive, Kirkwood, Mo 63122. A reception will take place immediately following the service in the church reception hall. There will be no calling hours. In lieu of flowers, Greg's family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital or to Little Patriots Embraced (littlepatriotsembraced.org)