John Hammon, Sr.

John W. Hammon, Sr., 85, died December 14, 2006, at MedCentral Mansfield Hospital. He died Thursday evening after never fully recovering from a fall in July. He was born April 3, 1921, in Glendale, Arizona, to Davis Wilborn Hammon and Minnie Elizabeth Dowdy. He worked as a gold miner in Jerome, Arizona and played football and basketball at Wickenberg High School. He served in the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific as a corpsman wearing both USMC and USN boots. In 1944, he married Kathryn Bunting in San Leandro, California while serving in the U.S. Navy. After his discharge, he was employed at Empire Reeves Steel Mill as a lieutenant on their security force, until his retirement in 1978. He drove both City and Lakeshore Bus and was head of security at Wells Department store. John was a Richland County resident most of his life, though after his retirement, he and his wife moved to Nevada for 12 years returning to Mansfield six years ago. His hobbies included fishing at Lake Erie and painting oil portraits as well as Southwestern/desert landscapes. He was a member of Mansfield Masonic Lodge #35 F. & A.M. and Sons of Herman Lodge #14. He had suffered many years, enduring 21 major surgeries and is now pain free and at peace, in the hands of the Lord.

He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Kathryn Hammon; two children, John Wendy Hammon, II and Karen Rick Wertz, all of Mansfield; eight grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren with one due any time; and three sisters, Anna, Ruth and Rosa. He was preceded in death by his mother, Minnie Elizabeth whom immigrated from England and his father, Davis Wilborn of Cherokee/Choctaw Indian heritage; brothers, Davis, Lloyd and twin brothers, George Oliver and Floyd; and sisters, Mildred and Chlois.

Friends may call Monday, December 19, 2006, from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. at the Diamond Street Home of Wappner Funeral Directors with Masonic services at 7:00 p.m. Funeral services will be held Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. at the funeral home. Military graveside services conducted by Richland County Joint Veteran's Burial Detail will follow in Mansfield Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to MedCentral Hospice.