George Howard Hammerlund

George Howard Hammerlund was born on April 8, 1924 in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Elbert Walter Hammerlund and Lilian Ruth Tronstad of Hopkins, MN. When he was age 5 his mother passed away during a siblings childbirth. He & his brothers were then placed in an orphanage until his father met and married his 2nd wife, Eleanor Sunday Hopkins, of Hopkins,MN. As the 2nd oldest child of 7, George had many responsibilities and chores including a paper route. They lived in the community called "Oak Hill". During this time, he met Harriet Eleanor Bettschart as a neighbor. He enjoyed playing baseball, hockey and the guitar. In his teenage years, George worked for his fathers family business doing sheet metal work at Hammerlund Manufacturing. He attended Oak Hills High School, through the 10th grade, He then went to Montana to work on a family members ranch until he enlisted into the army at age 19. Through basic training and assessment tests, he was placed in an engineering regiment. He helped build bridges and do mechanical work. He volunteered to be a "radio communicator" in WWII. He & his fellow soldiers traveled to Normandy and France until the war ended and he was honorably discharged in 1946. When he arrived back in his hometown of Hopkins, MN, he was eating lunch at a cafe when he recognized Harriet Eleanor Bettschart from his old neighborhood. He asked her out on a date for that very evening and the rest is history! They were married on May 2, 1947 in a St.Louis Park church. They resided in a small suburb outside Hopkins called the Lake Street Extension. George worked for his family business at Hammerlund Manufacturing doing sheet metal work creating heat ducts, roofing and gutters. Between 1948 and 1955 they had 5 children. Howard Lee, Bruce Walter, Karen Ann, Lynne Marie and Carol Lee. In 1956, George and Harriet decided to move to Colorado to escape the harsh MN winters.They resided in Indian Hills, CO. George continued to work in the sheet metal industry, while Harriet waitressed in the evening. George enjoyed playing a guitar while singing in a garage band playing bluegrass. After retiring in 1983 they decided to move to Salida, CO. There they enjoyed small town living on a small piece of property enjoying ranch life with horses and woodworking, leather design work creating saddles,belts and purses, etc. He enjoyed taking care of the land, as well as watching pro sports in his leisure time. They attended the Salida Lutheran Church and enjoyed traveling the US in their 5th wheel camper. After 21 years in Salida, they decided to move to Brighton, CO to be closer to their family. George will always be remembered for his genuine, kind, loving nature and his bright blue glowing eyes, infectious smile and open arms ready for all the hugs he would give and receive while he enjoyed being with his family. George always lead his life with a sunny disposition and loved the phrase "Life is short, eat dessert first". George has always been recognizable in his cowboy boots, Levi jeans, western shirts with suspenders and a cowboy hat or his WWII Veteran baseball cap. While he was humble, he enjoyed engaging in conversations about army life and war stories with other soldiers or those who recognized and thanked him for his service for our country - We are forever grateful to have been given the gift of love and priceless years with him.

George is preceded in death by his parents and his 6 siblings Kenny, Bob, Gloria, Pat, Bill and Beth and his spouse of 71 years, Harriet.

George is survived by his 5 children, Howard (Zona) Hammerlund. of Brighton, CO, Bruce (Debbie) Hammerlund. of Bennett, CO, Karen Hammerlund. of Brighton,CO, Lynne (Stewart) Stothoff of Westminister, CO and Carol (Will) Johnson. of Highlands Ranch Colorado. He is also survived by 9 grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren and 3 great great grandchildren.

Cards are being accepted at the Hammerlund home at 3060 E. Bridge St. #453, Brighton, CO 80601.

George and Harriet will be laid to rest together at Fort Logan National Cemetery, Staging area B, on December 27, 2022 at 1:30 pm.