June 23, 1936 - December 04, 2022
Salliann (Sally) Shanor Hammond took her first breath in eternity on December 4, 2022 succumbing to the effects of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and a recent bout of pneumonia. In her 86 years, she was a faithful and devoted daughter, mom, grandma, great-grandma, teacher, and friend. Sally was born in Pittsburgh, PA on June 23, 1936. Her father, Commander HAR Shanor, MD, was a WWI and WWII veteran, surgeon, and the University of Pittsburgh football team physician during the Jock Sutherland era of which she attended many games. Her mother, Ruth Shill Shanor, was a nurse and Sally was their only child. In her younger years she was an avid dancer, had her own dance studio as a teenager, and her favorite memories were at the family lake house “Shanor Shack” on Lake Pymatuning, PA. She had vivid memories of what it was like to live through Pearl Harbor and cared deeply for our nation - praying for revival. She even became a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution later in life. During her 86 years she had the opportunity to travel to places like Mexico City and Puerto Vallarta (Mexico), Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), Chiang Mai (Thailand), as well as most states throughout the US. Her diverse upbringing gave her a thirst for learning about different cultures. That desire, along with her lonely childhood, led her to a career in early childhood education as a preschool teacher, director, and much-loved Sunday School teacher. She loved doing crafts, was very patient with little learners, and was more comfortable sitting on the floor leading stories and songs with children than anything else. After she married, Robert Hammond, they moved to Southern California so he could pursue his aeronautical engineering career at Rockwell International/NASA. They divorced in 1970 and she raised her 3 children in an avocado orchard in La Habra Heights, CA. Sally loved to garden and spend time at the only neighbor next the house, Bethel Baptist Church. The family went to church together regularly and developed lifelong friendships (all three children met their spouses at Bethel). In 1997, Sally retired as a Head Start Director in Brea, CA and followed her daughters to Spokane, WA. She continued to devote her time and energy to children’s ministries at church and to her growing clan of grandchildren. Her love of children, crafting, origami, and gardening are the stories we share with friends and family now scattered around the world. The constant thread of her life was her relationship with Jesus. She met Him in her young years by listening to the Sunday music at the church by her home, decided in her early 20’s to follow Him through her husband, and encouraged others to do the same through her kindness and love for all. Her home had stacks of Bibles, study books, journals of God’s faithfulness and note cards with verses she loved. Even though Sally began life in a family with many resources and comforts, she loved simple things like good food, traveling, spending time with friends and family, working in her garden, and pouring her life into children. The world is a better place because of her devotion and fervor for life. She was preceded in death by her parents and is survived by her three children: Jeffrey (Susan) Hammond, Longmont, CO – Justin (Kelly), Jordan (Chelsea), Jami, and Taylor; Lisa (Charles) Greer, Spokane, WA - Alexandra (Branden), Spencer (Tori), Gratham, Morgen, and Aaron; and Amy (Curtis) Cutler, Spokane WA – Emily (Julian), Maisy (Jordan), and Mallory; and her beloved great grandchildren are Ella, Olivia, Knox, Winnifred, Evangeline, Jeannine, Alistair, Lucille, Ralph, Rusty Jo, and soon-to-arrive baby girl Blair. Not bad for an only child! Sally’s memorial service will be Saturday, March 25, 2023 at Mosaic Ministries Spokane (606 W. Third St., Spokane, WA) – time TBD. Please contact family for more information (an internet live feed will be available). In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Sally Hammond’s name to: Joyce Johns (https://legacy.cmalliance.org/worker/johns-joyce) or New Horizon Church’s children’s ministry in the community she lived (https://nhccspokane.com/ministries/kids/)
