Samuel "Drake" Hammond

Samuel "Drake" Hammond was born on September 1, 1992 in Denver, Colorado. He was the little brother of Daniel Boyd Hammond III and later became the big brother to Adeline Marie Hammond. Drake’s mom, Ruthanne Hammond, has a huge heart for all her children, but from the beginning, she spent late nights with her middle child, as that is when Drake would receive her undivided attention. As a little boy, Drake was happiest with an action figure in one hand and a dragon in the other, playing out his imaginary games with his cast of characters in his castle.

In October,1993, the family moved to Bozeman, MT, and some of the happiest times were when they could get together with their cousins, Natalie and Maclean Graves and their Aunt Kathy and Uncle Todd. These semi-annual trips were filled with joy and adventure for all and Drake’s beautiful smile was always on full display.

When Drake began school, Ruthanne was once again on late night duty helping Drake with homework or calming his nerves as success in school did not come easy to Drake, but his loving Mother spent countless hours helping him and he made it through.Drake spent his elementary and middle school years practicing taekwondo, playing video games and hanging out with family and a few good friends.

In 2009, Ruthanne and the kids moved to Fort Collins, Colorado and the Grammonds (Graves/Hammond) were solidified as “The Fam”. The Grammond family unit spent countless occasions gathering together to enjoy meals and play games. During these family events, Drake’s keen sense of humor was in full force and the laughter was abundant.

When he moved to Fort Collins, Drake traveled each school day with his Aunt Kathy to Ferguson High School in Loveland, Colorado. In May, 2011, Drake became a proud Ferguson High School graduate. After taking a couple of courses at Front Range Community College and working a few tedious and unrewarding jobs, Sam (Drake’s professional name) began his career at Toddy Coffee in March of 2016. At Toddy, Sam found his home and himself. He blossomed, and his confidence, competence, and courage were evident to all.

His confidence and courage were so strong that on June 18, 2022; Drake, his girlfriend, Veronique (Vee) Poirier, their two dogs, a cat and a snake all traveled across the country to their new home in Sanford, ME. On July 11, Drake got down on one knee at the beach and asked the love of his life to marry him. On July 12, Drake began his new job as a quality-control manager at Luke’s Lobster. On July 17, Vee’s Father took Drake sailing for the first time, then Vee introduced Drake to her extended family at a beachside. seafood barbeque. That evening, Drake texted his mother to let her know how much he had enjoyed the day; he planned to go sailing again the following weekend. Tragically, his short life ended in a fatal car accident on his way to work the morning of July 18, 2022.

Drake’s sweet soul, intelligent mind, genuine smile, sense of humor, and empathetic heart will be missed forever.