ST. CHARLES - Keith Dennis Hammond, 36, of St. Charles, passed away unexpectedly Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009, surrounded by his loving family.
He was born Feb. 3, 1973, in Chicago. He was raised in Schaumburg and moved to St. Charles upon graduation from Schaumburg High School in 1991.
He was employed by Lunt Manufacturing of Schaumburg until 2002, when he moved back home so he could look after his parents' well-being after an accident that his father had 10 years ago. His mom always was the apple of his eye.
His joy in life was being with his large family, but his biggest joys – and also who played an important role in his life – were his nieces, Krissy and Kylie, whom he would play, argue and just be "Uncle Keith" with. He still was a child at heart. He treasured the time he could spend with them and their dad, his brother.
He also had a passion for animals, especially his cocker spaniel "Boom-Boom" (Shadow), whom he would tease all the time with a red laser dot that brought a lot of laughs.
He found his turtle, George, who is about 30 years old, on a street in Eldorado. He just couldn't leave it, so it became part of his life.
He also made sure that the animals that frequented his parents' home were cared for and fed.
He enjoyed cooking and did a lot of the cooking at home – cleanup was his specialty – and also at anyone's house who was having a party. He enjoyed maintaining his parents' home, doing the landscaping. He became good at what he was doing.
His gardening was his passion, which he was very proud of. He enjoyed the outdoors and going camping with his brother, his cousins and nieces.
He is survived by his parents, Lenora G. and Dennis R.; his beloved brother, Michael D.; his fond and loving nieces, Krissy and Kylie; his paternal grandparents, John and Evelyn Hammond of Crossville, Tenn.; his aunts and uncles, Laura (Mike) Hammond/Sloan, Beverly Collins, Christine (John) O'Connor, Bill Liner, Pat (Janet) Liner, Judy (Frank) Kelly and Charlotte Turnbull; and many cousins, relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, William and Elizabeth Liner; and his uncles, Robert E. Liner and James Collins.
The visitation will be from 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19, at Ahlgrim & Sons Funeral Services, 330 W. Golf Road, Schaumburg. The service will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to the Anderson Animal Shelter. Their Web site is www.andersonanimalshelter.org.
For information, call the funeral home at 847-882-5580.
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