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Obituary For Lee Hammer
Lee Hammer passed away peacefully on April 30, 2025, at Sunnyview Care Center in Ankeny, IA surrounded by his family.
Lee was born on February 27, 1952, in Fort Dodge to Darwin and Bonny Hammer, one of four children. He grew up in Fort Dodge, where he attended Corpus Christi Elementary School and St. Edmonds High School, graduating in 1970. After high school, he went to Iowa Central Community College for two years, then to Iowa State University, where he graduated in 1975 with a degree in Industrial Administration.
Prior to his senior year at Iowa State, he married Shari Myers on June 8, 1973. After he graduated from ISU, he was employed by the Iowa Department of Transportation as a Purchasing Agent. Throughout his 37 years at the DOT, he worked in various departments. In his later years, he served as Director of Facilities and Support Services, retiring in 2013. Although the job had challenges, Lee always said he enjoyed his job and the many friendships he made with fellow employees. Lee and Shari lived in Ames for 40 years before moving to Ankeny in 2014. They raised their two daughters in Ames, and all were avid Cyclone fans.
Lee was a Pisces and loved being around water and water sports. He was a licensed scuba diver and an accomplished slalom water skier. He loved teaching others how to water ski any chance he got. He loved boating and riding jet skis. He spent a week in Canada with his "Fifth Degree" fishing buddies nearly every summer for 25 years.
Very close to his heart was the lake property he and Shari purchased in 1976. They built a small cabin on it in 1981 and then built around that cabin in 2007, making a nice lake home to enjoy in their retirement years.
Lee was a natural leader, and he served his community well. He belonged to St. Cecilia Church in Ames, where he served as the president of the Parish Council and Grand Knight in the Knights of Columbus. He had been an Elk since he was a young man and served as the Grand Exalted Ruler. At Lake Belletaine, he served as president of the Belletaine Lake Association. Many treasured friendships were made from serving in these organizations throughout the years.
Lee was very proud of his family and loved spending time with them, especially at the lake. Lee's faith was a priority and he and Shari often attended daily mass together.
Lee was preceded in death by his parents, Darwin and Bonny Hammer; and his sister, Marcia Borer. He is survived by his loving wife of 51 years, Shari, of Ankeny; his daughters, Licia Pettit (Tom) of Ankeny, and Lori Philbrook (Jay) of Roland; sisters, Barb Brown of Fort Dodge, and Jan Green (Tom) of Indianola; grandsons, Nick Philbrook, Tyler Philbrook and TJ Pettit; step grandchildren, Kyleigh and Henry; and many nieces and nephews.
Services will be held at St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church (1102 NW Weigel Dr., Ankeny) on Friday, May 9, 2025. Visitation will be held from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. with Mass of Christian Burial to follow at 11:00 a.m. A luncheon will be served following the Mass. A private interment for immediate family will be held at Ankeny Memorial Gardens.
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Shelly Voss sent Blossoms in Vogue for Lee Hammer - May 05, 2025
We are sorry to hear of the loss of Lee. He and Dennis did share work experiences and committee time. They often enjoyed family catch-up chats too. Shari, of course you and I first met at that summer class at ISU and continued many years of supporting each other with early childhood experiences with our girls. Busy years! You certainly wrote a nice obituary. We are thinking of you and your family during this difficult time and send our best wishes. Jane and Dennis
Shari, Lee and I worked together at the DOT for many years. I can remember when he came to work as a Purchasing Agent and I worked in the Office of Personnel. Lee always had a smile (just like the obituary photo) which sometimes made me wonder what he was really thinking about the conversation we were having. There was always some project going on at the DOT so Lee had many balls in the air and many people to please. I'm sure there were times when he wanted to pull his hair out! But somehow, he always got the job done and managed to please most people most of the time. You two were always regulars at St. Cecilia as were we. Life was busy then with both our growing families. He loved talking about you, the girls and his fishing trips. And later, he enjoyed relating his experiences of being a grandpa. I've kept aware of how Lee and your lives changed these last few years. Shari, I admire your dedication to him and his needs especially with the challenges you faced. May God bless you for that and give you the peace you so richly deserve. Mary Christy
