Harvey Roger Hammer

Harvey Roger Hammer was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on March 15, 1932. He died unexpectedly December 14, 2023 in Morgan Hill, California at the age of 91. Harvey is survived by his wife of 70 years, June; his daughter Jan and son-in-law Steve Durand of Anthem, Arizona; his two grandsons: Jon Allenza of Glendale, Arizona and Chris Allenza of Chandler, Arizona; nieces; nephews; and cousins.

Harvey grew up in Minneapolis, spending every summer at the family cottage on Lake Sylvia, Minnesota. From 1950 to 1958, Harvey served in the Naval Air Reserves. Also in 1950, he joined American Hardware Mutual Insurance Company at age 17, working in the mail room. This is where he met June, and they married in 1953. The job took them to Portland, Oregon from 1953 to 1958, then to Northern California. His career with AHMICO lasted 40 years, and Harvey retired as the Regional Vice President of the Pacific Division based in Menlo Park, California. Harvey and June traveled the world throughout their marriage and have the photo albums to memorialize those trips. Upon retirement, they moved to Morgan Hill, California, and have loved life there every day since. Most important in Harvey's life were family, friends, and his land, including flower gardens, vegetable gardens, fruit trees, orchids, greenhouse projects, and cactus. He also loved all the wildlife that frequented his acreage. Harvey was the

consummate host, whether it be taking guests sightseeing or entertaining them at their home with June by his side.

A celebration of life will be held Saturday, January 27, 2024 at 11am at Elks Lodge On the Hill in Gilroy. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Gilroy Elks Major Project or a charity of your choice.

Published in Morgan Hill Times · January 9, 2024