STEPHANIE HAMMONDS

Stephanie J. Hammonds, 71, of Jamaica Plain passed away at her home with family by her side on November 14, after living bravely with cancer for the past eight years.

Stephanie was born in Milford, New Hampshire, the daughter of Stephen and Elizabeth (Rocca) Welch. Stephanie attended Milford schools and graduated from Milford High School. She excelled at the arts from an early age and moved to Boston after high school where she graduated from Vesper George Art School. A creative woman of many talents, Stephanie was successful in several fields throughout her career.  She was a manicurist on Newbury Street for many years and then moved into the computer industry after learning how to operate computers in the early days of the PC.  She worked at help desks at the State Lab and WIC before moving into software and technical writing, finishing her career as a consultant at Genuity.

In 1965 Stephanie married the late Edward L. Hammonds.  They raised two sons together in Jamaica Plain. Stephanie was a warm, generous, and funny lady. A great cook, Stephanie regularly welcomed many friends and family to her home for meals and socializing.  She always had room for one more at her table and no one ever left her house hungry--she offered snacks or a cup of tea to all visitors.  Her specialties were italian food and baking.  She made a wonderful spaghetti sauce enjoyed by her family every Sunday for many years.  Her grandchildren especially loved her pumpkin pie and apple slump.

In retirement and during her long illness, Stephanie was active in many local organizations, including the JP Artists Association, the Loring Greenough House, Brookside Community Health Center and the Faulkner Hospital.  She regularly attended support groups at Dana Farber, offering encouragement and humor to fellow patients and survivors.  She also volunteered to speak to local medical students about living with Cancer and she wrote many articles for Cure Magazine about the subject.  She loved to draw and paint, especially paper dolls, and had several paper dolls published in Doll Castle News.  Stephanie enjoyed writing and wrote pieces for several publications, including Primo Magazine, for which she wrote articles about Connie Francis, Italian singer Romina Arena and American Bandstand.  She was  an avid fan of fifties and sixties music and loved American Bandstand.  She enjoyed reconnecting with many Bandstand regulars with whom she corresponded during her youth as a fan club president.  She exchanged letters and spoke on the phone often with her ‘Bandstand family’ and she treasured those friendships.  She contributed to Bandstand Diaries, a 2016 book about the show’s early years.  

A devoted mother and grandmother, she is survived by her sons, Stephen Hammonds of Jamaica Plain,  and Evan Hammonds and his wife Leanne of Watertown, and her two grandchildren, Edward and Elena Hammonds also of Watertown.  She is also survived by her sister Priscilla Gemmill of Concord, NH along with many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.  In addition, Stephanie leaves behind many friends, including her devoted friend Steve Wood who was by her side throughout her illness.

Her family is very grateful for the excellent care and support that Stephanie received at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Care Dimensions Hospice. Stephanie was a very spiritual person.  A staunch devotee of Saint Padre Pio, she relied on his intercessions throughout her illness.

Visiting hours will be on Thursday from 5-8 p.m. at Mann and Rodgers Funeral Home, 44 Perkins Street, Jamaica Plain. A Mass of Christian Burial will be at St. Thomas Aquinas Church at 10 a.m. Interment will immediately follow at Forest Hills Cemetery. To express online condolences go to mannandrodgers.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Stephanie’s name  to:

Dana Farber Cancer Institute

P.O. Box 849168

Boston, MA 02284

or via www.dana-farber.org/gift.

Care Dimensions Hospice

75 Sylvan St, Suite B-102

Danvers, MA 01923

CareDimensions.org

Padre Pio Foundation of America

463 Main Street

Cromwell, Connecticut 06416

http://www.padrepio.com/donations/

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