Merle Dwain Hammer

Merle Dwain Hammer died at the age of 97 in Topeka on February 14, 2023. He will be interred in the Norway Cemetery in Kansas. Merle was born in Norway to Philip Ingvald and Ellen Ovedia (Larsen) Hammer, on December 20, 1925, the third of three children. He attended school in Norway.

His parents separated and then his mother was hospitalized with tuberculosis in Norton. Merle and his siblings lived with relatives and he was eventually raised by his grandparents. For two years he went to a one-room school in nearby Fairview. During the peak of the Dust Bowl, Merle remembered when the skies were filled with dust and school was cancelled. Growing up, he and his brother, Leo, enjoyed hearing their father play baritone with the Belleville City Band performing concerts on the courthouse lawn. Leo made popcorn to share while they listened. Merle graduated from Norway High School in 1943.

Following graduation, Merle worked as a construction apprentice with his father. During the military expansion of World War II, they worked in projects at Fort Riley, Herington, and Liberal air bases. In 1944, while working in Liberal, Merle received his draft notice. He reported to Camp Barkley in Abilene, Texas, for basic training. After contracting pneumonia, Merle repeated training at Fort Hood, Texas. As part of the 104th Infantry Division, he arrived at Camp Lucky Strike on the northwest coast of France. His unit was sent on to Belgium and into Germany. Merle witnessed the beauty of the countryside and the devastation of war. After the war ended in Europe, Merle's unit was sent to San Luis Obispo, California. His next assignment was with the Second Armored Division, known as Hell On Wheels, in Camp Hood, Texas. There he trained to drive a Sherman tank.

During the post war years, Merle relocated to Topeka to join his father in construction. During his free time he enjoyed watching movies and dancing at popular spots in Topeka where big bands like Bob Crosby and Stan Kenton played one nighters. Merle attended Strickler's Business College. As a student, he worked for the White Front Cafe just across the street where he met Norma Jo Laird. They married in Topeka on June 8, 1951, and had two children, Roxane and Dale. They later divorced in 1978.

Merle worked in the general offices at Santa Fe Railway from 1950 until his retirement 35 years later in 1986. Along the way he worked second jobs in retail, as a door to door salesman, newspaper carrier, and treasurer for his church, Pleasant Hill United Methodist.

Following retirement, Merle fulfilled a lifelong interest to play with a big band. He began learning to play the clarinet and alto and tenor saxophone. He enjoyed playing with the Santa Fe Railway Band, Topeka Polka Band, Fairlawn Road Swing Band, and the Topeka Big Band. He later shared his love of music with his granddaughter Sjobor.

His parents and his brother, Leo Hammer, preceded him in death. He leaves behind a host of family and friends who mourn his loss, including his son, Dale Hammer (Bobbie Athon), Topeka; his granddaughter, Sjobor Hammer (Nathan Budge), Nashville, Tennessee; and his sister, Elaine Walser, Guthrie Center, Iowa.