Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hemphill
by Shirley Houston
 | Robert Hemphill, who works with Exxon, dated a court reporter named Joy Edmondson in 1980. They had been introduced by a mutual acquaintance. As love stories so often go, the relationship they had ended and they didn’t see each other for two to four years. That was only a chance meeting where they exchanged a few words. Their lives continued to go separate directions after that.
During the next 18-plus years, Joy became the mother of one daughter and Robert became the father of three daughters. Robert, even though married, had always wondered what had happened to Joy, the court reporter he was fond of and had dated so many years prior. In 2001 Robert’s life changed. He got a divorce. After about a year of the single life, he decided to look for the girl he had enjoyed dating in earlier years. He knew her name and he knew she was a court reporter. So he went to Yahoo on the internet and searched for “Joy Edmondson Court Reporter Houston.” Both their lives were destined to change after this one internet search. Robert found Joy on hcrainfo.com (Houston Court Reporters Association website). She was editor of the HCRA newsletter. There just happened to be an e-mail address for Joy on the website, so Robert e-mailed Joy. It took her three days to reply. It was six more weeks before they actually had their first date. It sounded like a marathon date because it lasted 14 hours. Fourteen hours wasn’t that long, as they had 23 years of catching up on what happened in their lives. Robert knew how to win the heart of a woman because he brought flowers for both Joy and her daughter on that first date. |
In Colorado one can be formally and officially married by filing papers at the courthouse declaring you are married and paying $10. You do not have to have a witness, a judge, or a minister. Joy and Robert wanted something special for their vows.
Robert and Joy chose to exchange vows on July 28, 2003, atop a mountain peak, which they believe is called Twilight Peak, about 26 miles north of Durango, Colorado. They arrived there in a four-wheel-drive truck. Joy wore an off-white, knee-length dress covered with lace and pearls with a matching hat. Robert chose a suit for the exchanging of vows. Only Robert, Joy, and God were present for the ceremony – and the photographer. The Hemphills honeymooned in Colorado, where they rode horses, took a train ride, and even took a Hummer tour.
After the traditional carrying of the bride over the threshold, the Hemphills have decided to make their home in Houston, where they are both employed. They are now the parents of their four daughters, who they say get along well enough to come to each other’s defense against their parents. The girls are great friends and have a lot of fun together.
It is so wonderful to talk to those in love. Robert says Joy is the most wonderful person and he never forgot her all those years. Joy says Robert is sweet, passionate and romantic, sincere, and writes the most beautiful sentiments. She is saving his writings so that one day she can compile them, much like Nancy Reagan did with President Ronald Reagan’s letters.
Even though this was a marriage atop a mountain, it seems it is a marriage made in heaven.
Congratulations to Robert and Joy Hemphill!
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