Obituaries

Mrs. Helen Lucille Hammer

On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, Helen Lucille Hammer, loving wife, and mother of 6 children and 3 stepchildren, passed away at the age of 90. Helen was born on July 20, 1930, in Wilkinsburg, PA to Samuel Farrell and Lucy Blanche (nee Whitbeck) Henderson. Helen always wanted to work as a secretary and took courses at schools including the University of Buffalo and Burlington Community College (NJ) while raising a busy family of 6 children. She would eventually achieve her dream and worked for the Virginia Department of Transportation for 31 years, retiring at the age of 72. Helen loved her church and community and regardless of where the family resided, she would find volunteer activities to engage in. For many years she was a member of Union Chapel United Methodist Church in Boydton, VA, where she volunteered as secretary and assisted with teaching Sunday School. If you asked Helen about some of her favorite moments, you would find a rich mix of experiences. She would talk about her time playing saxophone with the Buffalo Bills marching band, how she loved her mother’s cooking and the warm loving relationship she had first with her mother and then later, after her mother passed, with her stepmother Ethel. Her “inherited” love of ice cream, vanilla for many years only to be surpassed by cookie dough, came from her father’s side, a passion which her children all shared with her. Her least favorite food? Anything healthy! Helen rarely turned down an opportunity to try something new. Hop on the back of her brother Ed’s motorcycle to take a spin with him? Of course. Take a turn on water skis at Lake Chesdin? Yes and managed to keep her hair dry throughout. Travel was another important part of her life and she never missed an opportunity to explore. She loved to travel back to the town she grew up in and ventured even further to visit her children, no matter the location. In fact, family travel took her to Liberia (West Africa), Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland, and Canada. Helen loved her job, playing slots in Atlantic City (always with a limit!) often accompanied by her best friend and gambling buddy Joyce Wilson, devouring chocolate, and spending hours reminiscing with her sister, Anne Bilyeu. Over the last 18 years with her best friend and husband, Larry, at her side, Helen spent many an hour enjoying some of the simple things in life. Golf was a shared passion with Larry. One day Helen proudly made a hole-in-one on the par 3 6th hole at her beloved Tanglewood Shores Golf Course. On that same hole, Larry then hit into a sand trap. When he chipped in for a birdie and his ball landed in the cup on top of hers, Larry knew he was going to marry Helen. There was a lot of life packed into those 90 years. Helen was preceded in death by her parents and stepmother, Ethel (nee Westfall), son Marc Winfield Brenner, husbands Warren Brenner and James Jeffress. She is survived by the love of her life and husband, Larry Hammer, her children Warren (spouse Liz), Lucy (spouse Bob Hellman), Holly (spouse Terry Reiling), Betsy (spouse James Dunphy) and Sandy Barfield, her stepchildren Margie Mills (spouse Bob Mills) and Betsy Korb (spouse Dave Korb), siblings Florence Anne Bilyeu and Edward Henderson, ten grandchildren, 4 step grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren, 5 step great grandchildren, plus numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. A memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the CMH Community Hospice in South Hill. Online condolences may be sent through our website, www.crowderhitecrews.com. Crowder-Hite-Crews Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the Hammer family.