Lillian (Spilde) Hammer, 89
Lillian (Spilde) Hammer, 89, was born Sept. 30, 1935, to Chauncey Spilde and Theresa (Hage) Spilde of North Prairie, rural Velva, North Dakota. She attended country school through the sixth grade when they were entered into the Velva school system and graduated in 1953. After graduation she attended Minot Teachers College and got her certificate to teach in rural areas. She taught all grades near Bergen, North Dakota, except never having a seventh grader.
On June 12, 1955, she married Gerald "Jerry" Hammer, a neighbor boy, at North Prairie Lutheran Church where they started their lives together.
Lillian and Jerry traveled and worked in the states, mostly Montana. They had their first two children in Malta, Montana and then moved to Kalispell in 1959 where they had their third child. Living mainly in West Glacier where Lillian worked for West Glacier Curio Shop seasonally for over 30 years opening and closing for the tourist season.
After retiring, she and Jerry traveled through many southern states becoming snowbirds, even going as far as Florida and Virginia.
In 2000, Jerry was admitted to memory care an Immanuel Lutheran where Lillian spent a lot of time volunteering even after Jerry’s passing in 2016.
Lillian organized and enjoyed playing bridge with her many friends on Tuesdays. She enjoyed family times playing many games including rolling dice for quarters. She liked to win.
Lillian is survived by her children, Audrey (Adrian) Valli of Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, Canada, Greg (Karen) Hammer of Millington, Tennessee, and Kathy (Lance) Junjak of Kalispell; nine grandchildren, Norma Jean, Stewart and Jacob Valli, Kristina (Stan) Miller, Leann (Mike) Goodspeed, Valerie Hammer, Beau (Krystal) Borowski, Barry (Reychelle) Borowski, and Dylan Junjak, five great-grandchildren; brother, Warren (Carol) Spilde, Towner, North Dakota, sister-in-law, Lois Wunderlich, Velva, brother-in-law, Loren Hammer, Velva, and sister-in-law, Gail Lehmann, Springfield, Illinois, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Lillian was preceded in death by her husband, Gerald in 2016, brother, Larry Spilde, and in-laws, Glenn Wunderlich, Kevin Lehmann and Helen Hammer.
A celebration of Lillian’s life will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, March 3, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 603 S. Main St., Kalispell. A luncheon will follow with a graveside burial at 2 p.m. at Glacier Memorial Gardens, 2659 Hwy 93 N., Kalispell. Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home is caring for the family.