Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death.
William Jay Hammond, 76, of Arlington, Ore., passed away on Aug. 29, 2022, at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland, Wash. “Bill” was born in 1945 in Rupert, Idaho, to William Edward and Juanita Minnie (Coffman) Hammond. The fifth child of eight, Bill moved with his family to The Dalles area in Oregon in the early 1950s and spent much of his life there. Bill graduated from high school while living in Mosier, Ore. He went into the U.S. Army in 1965 and spent most of his time in Germany. He served as a military policeman, earning his Marksmanship status in rifle and pistol. His duty during the Vietnam War and Cold War also earned him the National Defense Service Medal. In his leisure time in Germany, he grew to love the country and its people and spoke throughout his life of wanting to return.
Bill had a number of jobs throughout his life, mostly in the maintenance and janitorial areas. He took pride in his work, but was a wandering soul, moving to various different locations in Oregon and Washington before finally settling his later years in Arlington with his wife, Margaret “Peggy” Wilson Hammond, with whom he had a 40-plus year relationship.
Bill was a country boy in his heart, and a big heart he had! He loved his family immensely and lit up when his daughter Laura was with him. He also had two stepchildren, Damon and Trisha, that he held dear. He was a man of good intention and would go out of his way to be there if his friends or family needed help with something in which he felt he could assist. In his spare time, he loved fishing, and was known to pull in sturgeon and catfish close to home from the Columbia River, and he’d travel far and wide to catch perch, crappie, bass and more throughout the Pacific Northwest. He also loved basketball, which he played in high school and loved watching in person for the rest of his life. He enjoyed playing pool on teams in his later years, and when he stayed in, he loved reading Louis L’Amour and watching westerns and war movies.
Bill goes to join his parents; his brother, Christopher Hammond; his sister, Hazel Davis; and his grandson Daniel Perez Hammond. He is survived by his wife, Peggy Hammond; his daughter, Laura Perez Hammond; stepson, Damon Wilson; and his siblings Myron Hammond of Salem, Clarice Hall of Gresham, Sharon Hobbs of Grants Pass, Patricia Sexton of Nyssa, and Sue Hammond of Ellensburg, Wash. He is survived by numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A memorial will be held on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 10:30 a.m. at the IOOF cemetery in The Dalles.
To plant a tree in memory of William Hammond as a living tribute, please visit Tribute Store.
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