William “Bill” Elmer Hammond, 74, son of Elmer B. Hammond and Mary Belle Whan Hammond, was born May 27, 1933, at the family farm home in Mercer County south of Princeton. He died Dec. 9, 2007.
He attended Boatman Country School and graduated from Princeton High School in 1951. He loved sports, playing football, basketball and baseball.
He married Dorothy Ferguson June 27, 1952. They had four children. The Hammonds moved to the Clara community in May 1963 from Cameron, where he managed Cameron Wood Products.
Mr. Hammond came to southern Missouri, buying walnut timber and started a post-peeling operation at Success. He farmed, raised cattle and wood products and operated Hammond Post and Lumber at Licking.
His hobbies included raising and training pointer bird dogs, showing and competing in field trials. He was featured in Missouri Conservationist, regarding raising bird dogs.
He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, C.E. Hammond and Eldon Hammond; and two sisters, Mary Yates and Rosalee Macomber.
Surviving are his four children, Reta O’Neal of Ball, La.; Marta Hammond of Houston, Gwen Ross of Eunice and Michael Hammond of Licking; and six grandchildren.
Services are 2 o’clock today (Thursday) at the Fox Funeral Home Chapel with Rick Mosher officiating. Burial is in the Wolford Cemetery at Clara under the direction of Fox Funeral Home of Licking.
