Barbara J (Ferguson) Hammer

Barbara J. Hammer, 79, of Newton died on Tuesday, October 16, 2018, at Skiff Medial Center.  A funeral service will be held at 5 p.m., Sunday, October 21, at the Wallace Family Funeral Home and Crematory. The family will greet friends from 4 p.m. until the time of service on Sunday and again after the service with a supper at the funeral home.  Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m., Monday, October 22, at Center Friends Cemetery in rural Newton.  Memorials to St. Jude Children’s Hospital may be left at the Wallace Family Funeral Home and Crematory.

Barbara, the daughter of Harry and Olive (Ray) Ferguson, was born on August 7, 1939 in Newton.  She grew up in Newton and graduated from Newton High School in 1957.  Barbara was united in marriage with Dyer Hammer on August 3, 1957 at the First United Methodist Church in Newton.  They made their home in Iowa, Illinois, Arizona, and then back to Iowa.  Barbara received many nursing degrees including her RN from the College of Nursing in Marshalltown in 1974, Bachelors of Science from Coe College in 1980, and her Masters in Nursing from the University of Iowa in 1988.  In 1987, Barbara and Dyer left Iowa again to live in Texas for three years and then made their home in North Carolina for 14 years, before returning to Iowa for good in 2004.  Throughout her life Barbara held many jobs in the nursing field including working at hospitals, veteran’s homes, doing in-home healthcare, and as a nursing home supervisor. In later years she developed nursing curriculum and taught online courses through the University of Phoenix.  Barbara was a member of the DAR since 2007 and had served as past Regent. She was also active in the Gerontological Nursing Association including the American Nursing Association and had written many chapters and articles in nursing texts and journals.  Barbara enjoyed camping trips with her family and friends and did genealogical research for her self and others.

Barbara is survived by her husband, Dyer Hammer of Newton; children, Dara (Gregg) Hanson of Newton, Mike Hammer of Newton, and Theresa (Steve) Daters of Melbourne; grandchildren, Jamie (Dawn) Carlock, Sara (Matt) Koon, Sean (Erica) Carlock, Logan Daters, and Madison Daters; her great-grandchildren, Alyssa, Brayden, Ella, Kambell, and Joziah; sisters-in-law, Irene Ferguson of Newton, Sheryl Ferguson of Newton, and Hjordis Ferguson of Sweden; and her many nieces, nephews, and cousins.  She was preceded in death by her parents; son, Jeffrey (Jill) Hammer; six brothers, William, Jack, Gene (Arlene), Jim, Kenneth (Sandi), and Larry Ferguson; her maternal and paternal grandparents and various aunts, uncles, and cousins.

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