Ila Mae Hemphill Coble

A funeral service will be held at Lutheran Church of our Father, 3304 Groometown Road, Greensboro, NC 27407, Friday November 13, at 2:30 P.M.

Ila was born to Grace Routh Hemphill and Grady R. Hemphill in Julian, NC, June 22, 1923 and graduated from Nathaniel Greene High School.

After graduating from high school, she corresponded with her high school sweetheart, Barney Jason (BJ, Bill) Coble while he served in the Army Air Force in World War II, flying missions out of England as a B-17 bombadier and spending 13 months as a POW in Stalag 17 in Austria after being shot down on their 23rd mission. Bill and Ila were married on July 4, 1945 after Bill was liberated and returned to the United States. Bill worked as a machinist, plumber’s helper, and licensed plumber while Ila was a stay-at-home Mom raising three children. Together they founded Coble Plumbing and Heating Company in Greensboro in 1960. They and their children were charter members of The Lutheran Church of Our Father and Ila and Bill remained very active members (choir, Sunday School, Church Council, youth group, etc.) for many years.

Ila was preceded in death by her parents and brother Ralph, and by her husband Bill in 1997 after 51 years of marriage.

She is survived by her step-sister Nancy Hemphill Brown of Julian, NC, children, Dr. Joseph Coble (Linda) of Stone Mountain, GA, Carol Honeycutt (Richard) of Flat Rock, NC and Rev. Gary Coble (Hope) of Salisbury, NC; five grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to The Lutheran Church of Our Father.