12/26/2025
Mary Jo Mooney Hembrock slipped quietly into the arms of her Savior on December 22, 2025, at the age of 91. Born on December 15, 1934, in Wayton, Arkansas, she was raised by her parents, Walsie and Claud Hylton, and lived a life marked by gentle, steadfast love that will echo through generations.
Mary Jo carried a quiet Christian faith that was never loud or showy, but steady and constant through every season of her life. It was the kind of faith that carried her through joy and heartbreak, through long, ordinary days and through the hardest of nights. She trusted her Lord completely, and that trust became the soft, sure foundation of everything she did. That faith led her to move her family to Arkansas, so they could attend First Pentecostal Church in North Little Rock, where she was a faithful member for 46 years. She loved to sing and joyfully shared her talents as a member of the church choir. As a young woman, Mary Jo also found joy in sewing, lovingly making shirts and dresses for those she held dear.
She was first blessed to share her life and raise her precious children with her husband, Charles Ray Mooney, whose memory she carried with tenderness. Later, in a beautiful gift of second chances, she opened her heart again and found deep companionship and love with Martin Hembrock, walking beside him with the same quiet devotion she gave so freely.
Above all else, Mary Jo was a mother through and through. Her love for her children was fierce yet gentle, unconditional, and never-failing. She did not have to preach her faith; she simply lived it. In the way she listened, in the meals she prepared, in the prayers she whispered over them in the dark, and in the patience she showed when life was difficult. Through her example, she showed everyone what true love and grace look like, and that legacy became the very heartbeat of her family.
Mary Jo was preceded in death by her parents; her siblings, Johnny Hylton, Larry Hylton, and Judy Henry; and her first husband, Charles Ray Mooney.
She leaves behind to cherish her memory her devoted husband, Martin Hembrock; her children, Brenda Sheppard (Steve), Terry Mooney (Shari), Stan Mooney, Ronda Mooney, Carla Mooney, and Brent Mooney (Shelley); her stepchildren, Neal Hembrock (Caryn), Barry Hembrock, Charlie Hembrock, Dale Hembrock (Angel), Lana Kellam (Eric), and Marta Hoffman (Mike); her brothers, Ed Hylton and Carl Hylton; her sisters, Wanda Fisher, Anna Sheppard, and Reba Moschini; eleven cherished grandchildren; sixteen great-grandchildren; and many other beloved family members and friends who each carry a piece of her warmth, her strength, and her unwavering love.
Though our hearts ache with her absence, we find comfort in knowing that the faith she lived by has now become sight. Mary Jo is whole, at peace, and finally home. Her gentle spirit, quiet courage, and boundless love will continue to live on in every prayer whispered, every story shared, and every life she touched.
A celebration of life will be held at First Pentecostal Church in North Little Rock on Monday, December 29, at 11:00 a.m., with a visitation one hour prior. A procession will follow to Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Cabot for interment.
An online guestbook is available using the link below.
https://www.rollerfuneralhomes.com/memorialpage.asp?id=73929&locid=32
