Marjorie “Marge” Jean Hammond

1933 ~ 2019
Our beautiful and beloved wife, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend, Marjorie “Marge” Jean Hammond, age 86 passed away peacefully on May 20, 2019. Marge was born on April 24, 1933 in Bay City, Michigan to Julius and Dorothy Bowker. She lived in Northern California for a short time, where three of her four children were born. Marge’s children with David Gordon (later divorced) were her pride and joy. She later found loving happiness with her husband Bill. Both family and friends close to Marge knew her as a heartfelt, thoughtful person who loved music and the arts.
We’d be hard pressed to find anyone in her life who hasn’t received a card of birthday wishes, congratulations, thank you, sympathy or any random occasion you can think of. Those small gestures made us all feel special. Marge believed in the power of prayer. She said prayers on her rosary and sent prayer requests to St. Jude for anyone who was ill or in a difficult situation. She would send a St. Jude Novena prayer card to whomever she was praying for. She firmly believed St. Jude came through and answered her prayers. Marge and her loving husband Bill attended various Catholic Churches throughout the Salt Lake Valley.
Her passion for music and the arts was present throughout her entire life. While it is impossible to share all her accomplishments, it is fun to reminisce about the highlights.
Marge shared that, as a teenager, she and her friends enjoyed going to dances at the dance halls. She also loved singing and learned how to play piano at a young age. She participated in Glee Club at St. John’s High School and sang in the church choir at St. John’s Church. Her mother encouraged this love of music. After graduating, Marge performed with a USO style variety show, which regularly performed for service men at the Oscoda Army Air Field.
As a young mother, Marge passed on her love for music to all four of her children. She would provide opportunities for the four of them to perform together. One example was the 4-H Show Boat. They were dressed up in spiffy, handmade costumes, and they all remember singing “A Spoonful of Sugar” together. All four of them have carried this intense love for music throughout their lives in different manners. They all feel blessed she instilled this love at an early age.
Later in life, Marge and Bill spent many years performing and sharing their passion for the arts. While living in Bay City, Marge was a member of the Bag Lady Beauties a women’s variety show group of nine. The donations collected from their fun and entertaining programs were used to send underprivileged children to band camp. Marge was even featured in a Bay City Times article (and later a Salt Lake article) for generating a list of over 1500 songs containing the word “love” in the title, some dating back to the 1940’s. One theory she always believed was “Where there’s music, there is love.”
After moving to Utah to be near family, Marge and Bill were involved in musical programs at Harman Senior Center, as well as a few other Senior Centers. Music Maker Stars and The Tenth East Players were two other singing and dancing groups they were in. They became known together as a first-class Ballroom Dance Act and were asked to perform at a variety of venues. On her own, Marge won a Salt Lake County Senior Idol Contest and directed a musical show entitled This One’s for You. One of her dreams came true when she performed with two of her grandchildren in The Music Man. In general, she loved making people happy through the arts, her gift from God.
Marge loved spending time with her family. She was especially thankful to be part of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren’s lives. Spending time with them when they were growing up and countless hours of playing games. There are many pictures and videos that show how much fun she had with them. She loved her Utah Jazz and was an avid fan. She also enjoyed bird watching, camping, vacationing, learning to play the organ, and of course talking. She definitely had the gift of gab!
Marge leaves behind her soul mate and dance partner, her husband, Bill Hammond; children who will cherish her memory – Leslie (Brent) Perry, Wayne Gordon, Gary Gordon and Julie Bauby; stepchildren Mike (Angie) Hammond, Barb Hammond, Paul Hammond and Carol Hammond; daughter-in-law Tina Gordon and 11 grandchildren – Ryan (Katie), Ashley, Brennan (Emilee), Nicole, Malorie (Kiril), Justine, Jacey, Matt (Julian), Nick, Chris and Monica; 13 great-grandchildren; brother-in-law Frank Gordon along with several nieces, nephews and friends. In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her two brothers and sisters-in-law – Charles (Shirley) Bowker and David (Sue) Bowker.
We will all miss our beloved Marge and her upbeat spirit. We feel blessed to have been a part of her life and are thankful she lived life to the fullest until she joined her Heavenly Father. She’s looking forward to the day she will be reunited with her loving husband Bill at picnic table #10 in Millcreek Canyon.
A Celebration of Life will be held in Marge’s honor on August 9, 2019 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM at Memorial Redwood Mortuary and Cemetery, 6500 South Redwood Road, West Jordan, Utah 84123. In lieu of flowers, the family asks you to consider a donation to the National Shrine of St. Jude Claretian Missionaries (www.shrineofstjude.org), a foundation Marge passionately made contributions to throughout the years.
Service Information

Celebration of Life
August 9, 2019 at 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Memorial Redwood Mortuary and Cemetery 6500 South Redwood Road, West Jordan, Utah 84123