Roy Clayton Hammond passed away on Saturday, May the 24th, 2014. He was born on April 9, 1930, and was 84 years old. He had spent over 70 of those years on the farm he was born on in the Grassy Community, near Lexington, in Lauderdale County, Alabama. He had seven siblings, Wayne, Myra, Murray, Lucille, Hugh, Ralph, and Lowell, and only Myra and Lucille are still living now.
Roy was a graduate of Lexington High in 1948, and then enlisted in the Air Force for a four year stint that was mostly spent in Louisiana and Puerto Rico. He then farmed, picked fruit in Florida, worked winters in car plants up in Cleveland, and then was hired to be a rural letter carrier, serving route two in the Lexington, Alabama to Loretta, Tennessee path (including the communities of Fairview and Rascal Town). Along about this time, he met Stella Mae Underwood on a blind date at a rodeo and married her less than a year later. There was never a more devoted husband than he was to his wife for their entire marriage and was especially caring for her health needs in an unsurpassed manner during her later years (prior to her passing in March of 2013). They had two boys, Roy Clayton Jr. and Russell. By the early 60s, he had wound up with route one out of Lexington with Grassy, Peppertown, and parts of Lexington being the main areas of his route. His home and his parents’ home were on his route, so Stella’s request of being home each day for lunch at 11:15 resulted a noticeably reliable time of mail delivery for his patrons. He carried the mail for 33 years and truly loved the occupation and the people of his routes. As much as he loved mail delivery, his first love was farming. He raised soybeans for some 15 years, but he had cattle mostly from the 50s through this last year. Baling hay was one of his greatest of enjoyments in life, and he was able to bale hay and farm cattle up through this last year. At retirement, he also began what became a 25-year occupation with a flea market sales sideline with regular attendance at the Florence cattle sale barn and at Ardmore Dog Day. And, throughout his life and especially upon retirement, he developed a regular trading relationship with the Amish people of Ethridge, Tennessee. He had many friendships with the Amish and religiously read their newspaper, The Budget, watching for news of those he knew in it. He was grateful for all his friends from all the social settings of farm community, mail delivery, flea marketing, and the Amish. Many, many people knew Roy.
Those that knew Roy knew a kind and happy person with a fun, ever respectful, and playful humor that existed in nearly every thought and conversation. He could be as devoted a friend and neighbor as you would find. And, he sure enjoyed his association with nearly everyone he knew. He will be missed greatly and remembered in memories full of humor and appreciation.
He is survived by his sons, Russell, of Anderson, and Clay, of Naurod, Germany, and by a neighbor and cousin that has been the same as a son, Lance Hammond, of Grassy.
Funeral services will be on Wednesday the 28th of May at Rogersville Funeral Home with Richard Welch officiating. Visitation will be begin at 9 a.m., and the service will start at 11 a.m. Interment will follow in the Grassy Hammond Cemetery.
