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Barbara Jean Hammer, 90, of Sun Lakes, formerly of Long Beach, CA and Buena Park, CA passed away on July 16, 2024 with family at her bedside. She will be remembered for her loving, kind, supportive, humorous and faithful nature. Barbara was born on November 13, 1933 in Los Angeles to James and Dorothy (Sharpe) Fitzgerald. She attended school in Long Beach and graduated from Wilson High School. She also attended Long Beach Community College. Barbara married LaVerne "Dale" Hammer from Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 1952. They raised two children LaVerne Dale Hammer, Jr. and Janet Susan Smith-Scott. While taking care of her family and raising her children she also worked in various office positions for Pacific Telephone, Aetna Finance, Lee & Fitzmorris Law Firm, and the Independent Order of Foresters. Barbara and Dale moved to their home in Sun Lakes in 1999 enjoying many years with family and friends playing golf, dancing, bowling, traveling, bible study, and other activities. Barbara and Dale were members of Grace Lutheran Church in Banning until it became impossible for her to attend in person. Barbara is survived by her son LaVerne Dale (Debbie) Hammer, Jr. and four grandchildren, Jennifer Hammer (45), Stefanie (Akil) Sanders (41), Julie Burke (41), Allison (Tyler) Smith (36), and eight great-grandchildren. Barbara is preceded in death by her husband LaVerne Dale Hammer, daughter Janet Susan Smith- Scott, parents James and Dorothy, sisters Dorothy, Marian, Joan, and Beverly, and brother James. Nancy Houston Guthrie, age 89, an enthusiastic resident of Sun Lakes District 6, passed away suddenly on Feb. 7, 2024. She is missed tremendously and wholeheartedly. Nancy loved her condo on Hogan with a prime view of the Golf Course and the Clubhouse. She cherished the close relationships that she cultivated within Sun Lakes and the surrounding area. Her passion was volunteering and raising money for the less fortunate. You may know Nancy as the former organizer of Charity Week's annual Pancake Breakfast. She also worked tirelessly to plan fundraising events at St. Stephens Episcopal Church in Beaumont. At the time of her passing, Nancy was serving as a Trustee on the Laura May Stewart Foundation as well as on the Board of her District 6 HOA. Her Episcopal faith, and her 38 years of A.A. sobriety were her North Star. Nancy was born in Seattle on August 11, 1934. She graduated from Nooksack Valley High School in the tiny dairy community of Everson, Washington. She attended the University of Washington, and was thrilled to have cheered for the Huskies during the 2024 National Championship game in January. She lived in Seattle with her husband George Olsen, where her daughter Heidi was born in 1960. George was a chef, and soon, the restaurant business took her to Newport Beach where she and George were partners in "The Galley West" and "The White Horse Inn." Fast forward through many catering events, and life events, and Nancy is remarried to John Guthrie. They made their home in Yorba Linda for many years. Their blended family included Heidi and John's four adult sons. John died in 1993. In addition to the restaurant and catering experience, Nancy's professional life also included top notch secretarial skills and she loved learning as tech became something to either embrace or avoid. She had the perfect set of skills to ace her next decades as "the" passionate volunteer and events organizer – most of which revolved around food. Nancy's family and friends miss her terribly. She was our "hostess with the mostess." Her Celebration of Life was held at Trinity Episcopal Church in Orange in September. If anyone would like to honor her memory, please consider a donation to Girls First Society of the Episcopal Church. (gfscalifornia.org). Desiree Smeda December 12, 1955 - August 12, 2024. We mourn the passing of Desiree Smeda (née Cathcart-James), who was born on 16 December 1955 in Windhoek, Namibia, to Ivan Cathcart-James and Lucy Tucker. Desiree passed away peacefully in her sleep on August 12, 2024, at her home at Sun Lakes. Desiree's early life was shaped by her education at Hottentots- Holland High School and Herschel Girls School in Cape Town, South Africa. She went on to study nursing at Carinus Nursing College, dedicating her life to the care of others as a Registered Nurse at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town and Addington Hospital in Durban. On April 12, 1980, Desiree married Victor Smeda in Cape Town. Together, they built a loving family and raised three children: Neville, Belinda (Creviston), and Christopher. In September 2001, the family immigrated to the United States, settling in Des Moines, Iowa, where they lived for 13 years. In 2014, Desiree and Victor moved to Sun Lakes, where they spent the remainder of their years together. Desiree is survived by her devoted husband of 44 years, Victor; her beloved children, Neville, Belinda, and Christopher; and her nine treasured grandchildren. Her warmth, kindness, and dedication to her family and community will be deeply missed by all who knew her. | SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | OCTOBER 2024 | 73

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