James Melvin Hammond

James Melvin Hammond, age 91, passed away peacefully in Harbor Springs, Michigan on February 20, 2021. To the very end, Jim shared his love of life with his children and grandchildren who surrounded him at his death. He was predeceased by his wife of 64 years, Mary Agnes (née Wallich) Hammond, as well as a grandson Austin Frank Weir. Survivors include children Julie Hammond Weir, James Casey, David Charles (Maria), and Marie Lucinda (Gregory) Law; grandchildren David Victor Hammond, Adam James (Mercedes) Weir, Madeline Grace Law, and Hammond James Law; and great-granddaughter Mary Katherine Hammond.  Both he and his wife were devotedly attended in their final years by Marie and Greg and their two children, Maddie and Hammond.

Immediately following his death, a Funeral Mass was privately held by his family on Sunday, February 21st, at Holy Childhood of Jesus Church in Harbor Springs.

Jim was born in Detroit, Michigan on January 9, 1930, the firstborn of Canadian transplants Harold James and Mary Helen (née O’Gorman) Hammond, pioneering members of Shrine of the Little Flower parish in Royal Oak, Michigan. He and his younger siblings, David Lawrence, Catherine Louise (Lee) Andary, and Mary Lucinda or “Cindy” (Thomas) Phillips, were educated in the primary and secondary schools of their parish. He is survived by his baby sister Cindy. Jim was always attached to Michigan and its great outdoors. Among his early memories are summers at Camp Sancta Maria in Gaylord, Michigan. He skied down Michigan’s hills for almost as many winters as he lived, and he boated on Michigan’s summer waters for nearly half his life.

Endless hours of boyhood fascination with the pulleys, gears, wheels and levers of an Erector Set received as a gift eventually led to a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Detroit. Joining the Chi Sigma Phi engineering fraternity as an undergraduate, Jim developed lifelong friendships with his frat brothers, a circle that quickly grew to include their wives. In fact, Jim met his future wife Mary on a spring evening in 1953 when he tasked a fraternity pledge, Marty Wyrod, to approach a passing coed and return with her name and telephone number. The two were married at Shrine of the Little Flower in 1955. Another “Chi Sig” member, Ken Law, and his wife Betty asked Jim and Mary to be godparents to their son Gregory upon his birth in 1963. Twenty-eight years later, their godson would become their son-in-law. 

Jim began his career with Detroit-based American Blower Corporation, which became American Standard while he was assigned to work in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In quick succession, Jim and Mary became parents to Julie, Casey, and David – all three Hoosiers by birth. But Jim was a true Michigander who felt Indiana was too far from home. In 1962 he returned to Michigan with his young family to start his own Lansing-based company as a manufacturer’s representative for heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning equipment. In 1967 the family added Marie, the only native Michigander among his four children.

During the busy years of building his business, Jim always set aside time for family activities and vacations. Jim instilled a sense of excitement and adventure in his children from their earliest years. He put them in ski boots before they had even begun to wear school shoes.  Later he led them on expeditions to mountains, deserts, and seashores far beyond Michigan, traveling in the family motorhome. His zest was never-ending. At age 84, he joined daughter Marie in parachuting over Emmet County.

The challenges of increased automation of precision machinery on factory floors in the 1980s inspired Jim to co-invent and patent a vibration isolation system that became installed around the world. On business trips to Mexico, Jim brushed up on his high school Spanish. Accompanying Jim to jobs in Germany, Mary expanded her Deutsch lexicon beyond “ein bisschen”. Some of Jim’s final work included installations of his equipment at General Motors’ new joint-venture automobile factories in China, where he and his wife enjoyed some their most memorable travel experiences.

Gradually retiring from his businesses during the early 2000s, Jim and Mary relished the summers of their golden years in Petoskey, Michigan and the winters in Naples, Florida. These two seasonal locations reflect Jim’s gentlemanly deference to Mary’s clear preference for milder weather, but each place also allowed Jim to pursue year-round his passion for boating. Jim and Mary’s summers in Petoskey were sure to begin in late spring and end in late fall, always catching the end of one school year and the beginning of the next, in order to cheer on their grandchildren at games, competitions, and other events. No winter in Florida passed, however, without Jim taking a ski trip, often in the company of his son-in-law/godson Greg and his buddies from Petoskey and their fathers. He amazed family and friends when, beyond the age of 80, he was still tackling slopes in the Rocky Mountains. He retired from his ski career as a senior on slopes of Nubs Nob.

What mattered most to Jim besides family and friends were God and country. He never lost the luster of being a Boy Scout or an altar boy. He always remained a proud veteran of the U.S. Army (and retained the championship pistol shooting skills acquired as a Private First Class). He never missed attending Sunday mass and receiving the eucharist in church (until COVID-19). He was a strong supporter of Catholic education. Every day of his long life he quietly embodied faith, hope, and charity. He had the patience of a saint and the heart of a giant. He was loved by all and will be missed by all.

If you wish to honor the life of Jim Hammond, please consider a donation to St. Michael Academy, 2225 Summit Park Dr. Petoskey, MI. 49770 or visit stmichaelupnorth.org.