A. Rose Hammel

A. Rose Hammel, 95 passed on July 12, 2021 . She was born in Blanchard, Michigan of the 5th of July 1926 to Arleigh & Leone (Shepardson) Minerd. She leaves her sisters Vena Gomez (Roy) of Edmore, MI, and Arletta Throop of Polk City, Fl. ; her children: Mike (Mona) of Panama, Patty McClary (Bruce) Phoenix. Dan (Anne) Prescott, and Mark (Kelly) Marble Canyon. Also to miss their Grandma are Melinda Whittington, Christian Hammel (Joyce), Sara Hammel Cox, Trenton Hammel (Rebecca), Michael Hammel, and Billy Hammel (Sammie). She is also survived by her great grandchildren Charis Moody, Raine Hammel, Ethan Cox, Liam, Lennox, Logan, Chyanne, Carter, Sawyer, & Olivia Hammel. She is also survived by many nieces & nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 65 years in 2012, William E. Hammel, her parents, and her brother Bill, her brother in law Art Throop, and her grandson in law Michael Cox.

Mom was the quintessential “50’s” mother. She taught Sunday school, was a den mother, and girl scout leader for years. In 1959 they packed up the kids and moved to Phoenix to start a new business. As much as she missed the green trees of Michigan, she rallied to begin a new life in Arizona. She joined Kiva Woman’s Club and was President in 1964. She was a talented seamstress, sewing dance costumes, school play costumes and all of Patty’s clothes thru high school. Her sewing talents extended to re-upholster of chairs and dad’s Corvairs and she made Anne’s wedding dress. She did many of custom alterations for the family business, the Nu-Way Cleaners @ 7th Street/Glendale Ave. When Bill retired from dry cleaning they took a 6 week trip to New Zealand & Tahiti. She loved travelling and spent many vacations visiting Mike in Hawaii. In 1990 she & dad were going to retire to Mexico, they were gone a week! It seems she only liked traveling where English was spoken. She loved doing ceramics and after all the children left home she enrolled at Glendale College and took every art class that was offered. She excelled in bronze casting, marble carving and metals. She took cake decorating classes and made both Mark & Patty’s wedding cakes. Mom shared Dad’s love of Corvairs and they were active in the Cactus Corvair Club until his death. She was involved in getting a new dog park built at Sun City Grande so she could take her beloved doxie “Fritze” to the grass. She moved to Independent Living at the Beatitudes in 2013. She & Fritze made a new life & friends there. She enjoyed her trip to Michigan for her 90th birth year and a party at the Beatitudes on her return. In 2018 she went to Panama for 2 months to visit with Mike & Mona. The Covid lockdown took its toll on her health. While she kept safe from the virus, she declined physically & mentally from the isolation. She had a long, meaningful life and she shall be missed by all who knew her. We thank all her caregivers at the Vermillion Cliffs Memory Care Unit Beatitudes Campus of Care & Hospice of the Valley for their kind care in her final months.

Viewing/Visiting Friday, July 16, 4-5 pm at the mortuary.

Services will be private family only. Entombment at Westhaven Cemetery where she will be united with the love of her life, Dad.