Marlene Hammes
Marlene Hammes
Marlene Hammes
February 7, 1933 – April 17, 2023
Delta, Iowa | Age 90
Marlene Hammes, 90, of rural Delta died Monday, April 17, 2023, at the MHP Hospice Serenity House in Oskaloosa. She was born February 7, 1933, in Harper, Iowa, the daughter of Richard Peter and Margaret Sondag Merz.
Marlene graduated from St. Elizabeth Catholic School with the class of 1951.
Following graduation, Marlene moved to Des Moines and worked for the Bell Telephone Company.
On February 23, 1952, she was united in marriage to Robert Hammes at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Keota.
Following their marriage, the couple moved to Kansas City and Marlene continued working for the telephone company. After a year and a half in Kansas City the couple returned to Iowa and settled on a farm near Delta. Together, Marlene and her husband built a legacy farm that their family still operates today. She worked side by side with Bob on the farm. She loved the farm and outdoors (fishing, hunting and trapping) and owned an exotic animal operation, raising elk, peacocks, and deer. Marlene worked closely with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, raising trumpeter swans. She grew a large garden every year, harvesting and canning much of the produce.
Marlene had a servant heart. She was a member of the Oskaloosa Rotary, where she received the Paul Harris Fellowship award. She was a member of the St. Joseph Catholic Church in What Cheer, and then St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Oskaloosa, where she was active in Altar and Rosary and any other church organization that needed volunteers. Marlene was a hospice volunteer. She always enjoyed hosting family and friends in her home. Her grandchildren loved her cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip cookies, and her Aunt Marlene bars, as well as the love she showered upon them.
Marlene is survived by her children, Craig Hammes (& Mary Kleinsorge) of Delta, Colorado; Debbie Hammes Walsh (& Mike Walsh) of Ankeny, Iowa. Robbi Hammes Royce of Des Moines; Denise Hammes of Overland Park, Kansas; Brian Hammes of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Russell (& Karla) Hammes of rural Rose Hill; 12 grandchildren: Nikaila and Stephanie Kleinsorge, Elizabeth Mefford, Becky Royce, Emily Quinnett, Kristen Rossi, Kelly Picanso, Kaitlin Morrell, Grace Fitzpatrick, Brandon Tomlin, Rachelle Beals, and Brianna Thies; 13 great-grandchildren: Lena and Faye Rossi, Caden, Wyatt, and Beckham Picanso, Owen and Maeve Quinnett, Drake Tomlin, Dane and Reis Beals, and Zavier, Finley, and Haven Thies; her sister, Danita Keller of Phoenix, Arizona; two sisters-in-law, Sue Merz of Harper and Marie Hammes of Fairfield.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Hammes on July 29, 2017; her parents; three sisters: Jeanette Hammes, Burnita Besser, and Rose Mary Shannon; and her brother, Ron Merz.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held Friday, April 21, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. in the St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Oskaloosa with Reverend Troy Richmond officiating.
Burial will be in the Sts. Peter and Paul (Clear Creek) Cemetery in Keokuk County. The Bates Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements.
Visitation will begin Thursday after 12 noon in the Bates Funeral Chapel in Oskaloosa. At 5 p.m. on Thursday evening the family invites all who would like to attend to join them in praying the Rosary in the Bates Funeral Chapel. The family will be present from the conclusion of the Rosary until 8 p.m. to greet friends and relatives.
The family wishes to extend a heartfelt thank you to the staff of the MHP Hospice Serenity House for the love they showed their mother in her final days.
Memorial donations may be made to MHP Hospice Serenity House, the Trumpeter Swan Society, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Marlene Hammes please visit the Bates Funeral Chapel Sympathy Store.
