Ruth Hammer

Ruth Irene Whiting Hammer, 89, was a retired secretary and verbatim reporter, who enjoyed traveling and the game of bridge. Mrs. Hammer died March 5, 2008, in Huntington Harbor, California, where she had lived for five months.

Born October 10, 1918, in Pella, Iowa, she was the daughter of Nelson Frank and Martha Whiting. They moved to St. Ignace in 1924.

She attended LaSalle High School, and later worked as a secretary to the commanding officer of the hospital at Keesler Field.

She married Paul Hammer in 1943.

Following Mr. Hammer's discharge from the Army, they moved to Great Barrington, Massachusetts, then to Canaan, Connecticut, in 1953. She worked as a secretary at Becton-Dickinson.

Following her divorce, she moved to Falls Village. In 1970, Mrs. Hammer moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked as a verbatim reporter. She retired in 1983 and moved to Milford, Connecticut, before settling in Lake Forest, California, in 1993.

Mrs. Hammer was a very active tournament bridge player after her retirement and loved to travel.

She is survived by two children and their families, Sharon Hammer of Huntington Beach, and Paul Hammer Jr. of Storrs, Connecticut; three grandchildren, Nicholas Hammer, Michelle Landon, and Paul Hammer III; six great-grandchildren; two sisters, Violet McAuliffe of Washington, D.C., and Marguerite Laughlin of Delton; five nieces, and nine nephews.

She was preceded in death by two siblings, Beatrice Jewell, who died in 2004, and Erle Whiting, who died in 2007.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions by be made to Balboa Unit 515 for its mentoring programs in care of Sharon Hammer, 20701 Beach Boulevard 36, Huntington Beach, California 92648.