Richard (Mick) Michael Hammond passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of Dec. 26, 2021, with his devoted wife of 72 years by his side.
Over the course of his 94 full years, Mick was known as a loving patriarch, a hardworking man, and a reliable friend and neighbor.
Visitation will be held at Grace Point Wesleyan Church in Brookings on Friday, Dec. 31 at 10 a.m., with funeral service at 11 a.m. and a lunch following. Eidsness Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
Mick was born to Charles and Margaret (Meloy) Hammond in Brookings, SD, on Sept. 24, 1927. He attended the Brookings school system until entering the U.S. Navy in 1945, serving most of his active duty time on Guam, before receiving an Honorable Discharge in 1946 and serving 10 years in the Naval Reserve.
Mick and his sweetheart, Beverly L. Clark, often roller skated near Lake Campbell, and the two were married on June 19, 1949, at her family farm. The couple was blessed with four boys: Rod, Rick, Rex and Ross.
During his working years, Mick’s jobs often aligned with his passions. In the 1950s and 1960s, Mick was a heavy equipment operator and later a supervisor in bridge construction, building many of the Interstate bridges in South Dakota and Iowa. In 1971, Mick began a long career with 3M, on the very day that the Brookings plant began operations.
He worked in several supervisory roles at 3M before retiring from there in 1991. Not content to sit at home, Mick went back to heavy equipment work, this time as a crane operator for LG Everest Co. until 2003.
Mick was an avid history buff, especially when it came to World War II, and he was honored to be part of Honor Flight for veterans visiting the WWII memorial in Washington,  D.C., in 2012. Mick was a member of the American Legion, an amateur pilot, an avid bowler for many years, and regular for the 7 a.m. coffee hour at the Volga Gas Stop in his retirement.
Mick was preceded in death by his parents; brothers Donald, Charles, James, Luther, and William; sisters Marie, Lena, Katheryne, Margaret, Florence, and Alvina; and his son Rodney Hammond (2001).
He is survived by his wife Bev; sons Rick (Karen) Hammond, Ross (Laricia) Hammond, and Rex Hammond; grandchildren Chad (Glenda) Hammond, Lane (Megan) Hammond, Nichole Berkenhoff, Stephanie Jacoves, Reed Hammond, Dylan Cramer, Hailey Cramer, Alexander Hammond, Caroline Hammond, and Zachary Hammond; brother-in-law Roger (Kay) Clark, sister-in-law Connie Sallquist, and many nieces, nephews and great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made in Mick’s name to the Volga American Legion Post 114, Box 384, Volga, SD 57071. Cards may be sent to Bev Hammond at Edgewood Brookings, 2015 8th Street South, Brookings SD 57006.