Leilani (Lee) Marie Hemminger

Lee was Born July 3, 1939 to James Orville Hemminger and June Beverly Dickinson. Her mother reports she was delivered on the kitchen table in their house in Des Moines. Her parents divorced when she was 1 year old. Both remarried and had 4 children each, in their second marriage.

Lee married her HS sweetheart at the age of 15, had 2 children in 5 years then divorced. She was unable to have any more children due to medical issues.

Lee worked as an office manager and bookkeeper before joining the Women’s Army Corp in 1962. Lee moved to Denver in December, 1963 and worked again as an office manager and bookkeeper at various jobs.

Lee adopted Lisa in February 1970 from Catholic Charities at 8 weeks of age. Lisa was the 1st person in Denver's history who was adopted to a single parent.

Lee completed bookkeeping training and attended early childhood development earning her associates degree. She went back to school and received her associates in Nursing in 1985. She was hired at St. Anthony’s in 1985. She went to Denver Health in 1992 as clinical research RN. She returned to St. Anthony’s and opened Intermountain Neurosurgery with her Doctor colleague, in the interim she attended CU and obtained her BSN and then to Regis to obtain her MSN and advanced practice nurse qualification in 1993. She had a stroke in 1999, which ended her career for a while. She didn’t work for 6 years and then was hired by St. Francis Center homeless shelter as director of their medical clinic. Here she wrote policies and procedures and acquired the clinic’s pharmacy licenses. She finished her nursing career in home health and she retired at 74 filling her time by volunteering.

She has met amazing people throughout her life and stayed in touch with a lot of them until her passing. She always thanked all of her friends and family for helping her to become the amazing woman that she was. She will be remembered as a kind and caring human who was not afraid to voice her opinions and would defend those she loved, fiercely. She was a definite trailblazer and was loved by many.

She is preceded in death by both of her parents, all of her step parents and all of her siblings. She is survived by her Daughter Lisa Hemminger of Littleton, CO., numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews.

In lieu of Flowers please consider donating in Lee’s honor to:

Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati
Associate Office
5900 Delhi Road
Mount St. Joseph, OH 45051 

You may donate online using PayPal:

https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=5BZ2PSFFPWGXL

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Recitation of the Rosary will be held at 7PM on Thursday, July 18, 2024 at Holy Family Catholic Church, 4377 Utica Street, Denver CO 80212.

Memorial Service to be held at 10AM on Friday, July 19, 2024 at Holy Family Catholic Church; reception to follow at the church.

Private interment will be held at Littleton Cemetery.

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