Hilton Vice Hammond left this world at 7:07 AM on April 9, 2019 at the age of 99 years, 2 months and 19 days old. Funeral services will be 10:00 am Saturday, April 13, 2019 at Skelton Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Joyce Snyder and Mrs. Hammond’s daughter, Ginger Boatwright officiating. Burial will follow in Unity Grove United Methodist Church Cemetery with Skelton Funeral Home of Reform directing. Visitation will be immediately following the service at the funeral home.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 75 years, John Austin “Hap” Hammond, Sr; her son, Jerry Wyatt Hammond; her parents, James E. Vice and Lovie Baggett Vice Ballard; brother, Hollie Christopher and sisters, Erdeal, Nota, Lois and Sarah.
Survivors include her daughters, Linda Dickson and Ginger Boatwright (Buck Kuhn); her son, John Austin Hammond, Jr; three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Hammond was born January 21, 1920 in Moores Bridge, Alabama. She taught Art and English. All school funding went to sports, so Hilton used her own money to buy a cotton candy machine. It paid for itself the first football game and she then had the best supplied art room in the county. She did so well the football coach told her he needed to use the cotton candy machine to raise money for football. Hilton told him to go buy his own cotton candy machine.
After 5 years at Fairfield, Hilton moved to a different section of Birmingham and taught for the next thousand years at Fairview Middle School. Her English students used a notebook she devised instead of text books, and when her students got to high school the teachers would say “You had Ms Hammond for English, didn’t you?” (The family would love to have one of those notebooks.) She loved teaching and interacting with her students.
Hilton loved to sing and she sang every day of her life. She got her wish, and passed away at home with her children in attendance. She was kind, generous to a fault, loving, gracious and caring. She loved her Lord, her church and her family above all else. She never took when she could give.
This lady was a strong woman, much loved in her community. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Unity Grove United Methodist Church Building Fund, 85 Unity Road, Palmetto, AL 35481 or Amedisys Hospice, 1300 McFarland Blvd. NE, Suite 340, Tuscaloosa, AL 35404.