Earleen "Ann" Caldwell Hammond

Ann was a proud Southern woman who loved and was forever faithful to her God, her family, and her country. She placed tremendous value on knowledge, critical thinking and education. Ann attended Ashley High School in Gastonia, North Carolina, and was valedictorian of the Class of 1963. Ann graduated magna cum laude from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, and studied at La Universidad de Madrid, a study abroad program through New York University, in Madrid, Spain. A longtime resident of the Windy Hill section of North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Ann and her late husband started Hammond Fire Equipment Company in 1983. The business served the Grand Strand community until her retirement in 2015, and she was the sole proprietor for 16 years following her husband’s death. Ann also worked in civil service in Warner Robins, Georgia; served as an interim teacher at Wampee High School in Horry County, South Carolina, when the school was in need of a teacher; and worked for the South Carolina Department of Social Services in Conway, South Carolina.

Ann was born and raised in Gastonia, North Carolina, and lived there until she attended college in Florida. Ann moved to North Myrtle Beach in the 1970s, helping to care for her ailing father. She met the love of her life who would become her husband while working at the Ponderosa Campground during that time. The greatest joy of her life was being a mother to her two children, who she so dearly and so selflessly loved. She instilled in them a strong work ethic and intellectual curiosity.

Music was one of the great loves of Ann’s life. A preacher’s daughter, she developed a love for gospel music and played the piano and organ in the churches and services where her father presided. She enjoyed folk music, which she sang and played on her ukulele during college. Even later in her life, Ann enjoyed singing and playing from the hymnal at her piano.

Ann was preceded in death by her father, Earl Lindsay Caldwell; her mother, Annie Jane Lewis Caldwell; and her husband, Charlie Hammond. She is survived by her two sons, John Vollie Hammond of Charleston, South Carolina, and Matthew Quincy Hammond of Cramerton, North Carolina.

A visitation for Ann will be held Saturday, August 13, 2022 from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm at Carothers Funeral Home at Gaston Memorial Park, 2205 Williamsburg Drive, Gastonia, NC 28054. Following the visitation will be a graveside service at 3:00 pm at Gaston Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the American Cancer Society.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.carothersfuneralhomegastonia.com for the Hammond Family.