Lloyd Hammermeister

Published 12:00 am Thursday, October 15, 2009

Lloyd Herman Hammermeister, 105, of Austin, died Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 13, 2009 at St. Mark’s Lutheran Home.

He was born July 5, 1904 to Herman and Anna (Brown) Hammermeister in Austin. He was baptized at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Dexter Township, east of Austin. Lloyd was in third grade when his mother passed away while living in South St. Paul. Lloyd’s father took the family to Montana. Later Lloyd and his brother Julius and sister Gladys were sent to live with their mother’s brother and his wife, August and Martha Brown, in Nunica, Mich., where Lloyd was confirmed in the Lutheran faith.

After finishing school, he worked for his uncle in the cucumber fields. His uncle worked for H.S. Heinz Co. Lloyd later left his home in Michigan and worked at two restaurants in Milwaukee for awhile before the brothers found jobs in the steel mills in Chicago.

Later on, Lloyd returned to Minnesota where he worked for farmers in the Dexter area. It was there he found his childhood friend and the love of his life, Laura Studer. He moved back to Chicago but again returned to the Dexter area, and finally on Flag Day, June 14, 1939, Lloyd and Laura were married at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church. They farmed on the Studer home farm and milked cows for many years, retiring in 1974 and moving to Austin.

Lloyd was an active member of Trinity Church. Laura and Lloyd enjoyed traveling with friends and the Mower County Senior Center. Laura passed away in 2000. Lloyd kept busy with his gardening, string art, photography and jigsaw puzzles that he mounted for wall hangings.

Lloyd was known for his good sense of humor and his honesty. His longevity is owed to his treadmill workouts (four miles per day).

He is survived by nieces, Judith (Harlin) Kriehn of Austin, Joyce (William) Bennett of Long Beach, Calif., Mary Taylor of Medford, Ore.; nephews, Gene Studer of Rose Creek, Robert (Linda) Hammermeister of Signal Hill, Calif., John (Bettie) Hammermeister of Long Beach, Calif.; and several great-nieces and nephews and great-great-nieces and nephews.

Lloyd was preceded in death by his wife, Laura, on June 19, 2000; his parents; his brothers, Julius and Robert; and sisters, Gladys and Silva.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009 at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, rural Dexter with Pastor David Fleishmann officiating. Friends may call from 4 to 7 p.m., Monday, Oct. 19, 2009 at Worlein Funeral Home in Austin and at the church one hour prior to the service. Interment is at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, rural Dexter. Casket bearers will be Charles Crawford, David Hammermeister, Ron Hammermeister, Charles Hinderaker, Dan Holst and Randy Stephenson.

Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.worlein.com.