Keith Leland Hammer

Keith L. Hammer

Hurricane, Utah

Keith Leland Hammer, 86, passed away September 7, 2015, at his home in Hurricane. He was born the 9th of 10 children on February 22, 1929. His parents were William Jasper and Dora Mae (Denning) Hammer.

Growing up, his whole family worked hard on an 80 acre farm in Osgood, just west of Idaho Falls. They enjoyed swimming in the canals, ice skating, fishing, sleigh riding, skiing behind a horse, and building model airplanes. When there was a lot of snow, the school would send around a covered sleigh with a pot-bellied stove in the middle to keep the children warm for the 1.5 mile ride to school.

Keith graduated from Idaho Falls High School in 1947, then joined the Navy. He reminisced that after working so hard on the farm, boot camp was like a vacation. Assigned to the USS Helena, he made many trips across the Pacific to Japan, China, and the Philippines. During the Korean conflict, his service was extended a year. He was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1951.Hired as an aircraft electrician at Hill AFB in 1953, he later became part of the Missile Electronics Division.

He met Barbara Hoyland at a dance in Salt Lake City, and a year later, on March 22, 1958 they were married in the Yale LDS Ward. In 1961 they were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. They moved to Kaysville, Utah in 1958, where their four children were born. Keith served faithfully in many church callings there and in Hurricane. Retirement from Hill AFB came in 1984 at age 55. He then started building a home in Hurricane, Utah. It took 4 years of dedicated work to finish the house.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara; children: Mark, John J., and Mary M.; 8 grandchildren; and 7 great - grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Ellen Hammer Ferdon; his siblings: William Duard, Jasper Carlyle, Eunice, Doris, Marion, Carlis, Artella, Jean, and Kenneth. A special thanks to Encompass Hospice and Keith's angel nurse, Lisa Ross.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, September 11, 2015, at 11:00 a.m. at the Hurricane LDS 6th Ward, 677 south 700 West, Hurricane, Utah. A visitation will be held at 10:00 a.m., prior to services, at the Chapel. Interment will follow at the Hurricane City Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted to the care of Metcalf Hurricane Valley Mortuary, (435) 635-9922. Please visit our website at www.metcalfmortuary.com for condolences, complete obituary and