John Hamm

John Hamm, 98, passed away April 25, 2017.

John was born in 1918 and raised in Knoxville, Iowa. He was the only son of Everett Hamm and Elisabeth (Bingaman) Hamm. He graduated from Knoxville High School where he was a star quarterback and punter for the Knoxville Panther football team.

John was attending William Penn College in Oskaloosa when he was drafted by the U.S. Army on April 23, 1941. He was injured in Italy and awarded the Purple Heart and Silver Star for gallantry in action on November 4, 1943. He served with the 34th Infantry, 185th Artillery and was honorably discharged on September 1, 1945. John and Maybelle Loretta Hopkins were married on October 28, 1944. Maybelle died December 7, 1972. John retired from the U.S. Postal Service in Clinton, Iowa in 1978. On March 27, 1982, he married Dolores Eileen Wyckoff. She died on October 6, 1996.

John’s interests included football, (the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Chicago Bears), golf, and his evening indulgence in ice cream. He was a member of the American Legion, DAV, the VFW, and the Purple Heart Association.

John is survived by his son, Larry Hamm; grandchildren, Stephanie Hill and Brandon Hamm; two great-grandchildren, Michael Wiley and Caitlynn Wiley; step-daughters, Sharon Willard, Linda Chartier, Jane (Paul) Wells, Pauline Kozak, Debbie (Dewey) Edeker and Becky (Bruce) Keeney; and their children and grandchildren.

The family will greet friends from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, April 30, 2017 at Hamilton’s Southtown Funeral Home, 5400 SW 9th Street. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 1st at the funeral home. John will be laid to rest with military honors at 12:30 p.m. Monday at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be directed to the Rheumatology Research Foundation or The Lupus Foundation of America.

The family would like to thank the nurses and staff at the VA in Des Moines for John’s care and family support.

Condolences may be expressed at:
www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com

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