Irene Lydia (Roy) Hammer was born at Regina Grey Nuns Hospital (RGNH) to Conrad and Olivine (Turcotte) Roy. She grew up on the family farm northwest of Cadillac, SK along with her older brother Lucien and younger sibling Roger. Irene attended school in nearby Vallee Sainte Claire for Grades One to Ten. Then she was off to Sacred Heart Academy in Regina for her final high school years, becoming a proud member of the Class of ’44. Later that fall Irene entered the three-year Registered Nursing program at RGNH. During this time, she had the unique experience of clinical instruction from her great-uncle Dr. Laurent Roy who came out from Quebec around 1910 to practise in the Swift Current area, and later re-located to Regina in the 1920s. Despite the demanding class load, Irene found time to make many friends. In 1945 a classmate introduced her to Ronald Hammer, a young mechanic from Bengough, SK who had just been discharged from the RCAF. Friendship blossomed into love and they were engaged soon after Irene graduated and started work at RGNH, while Ron was a Regina theatre projectionist. Early 1948 found the couple in North Battleford, SK with Irene at the Battlefords Union Hospital and Ron working at the Capitol Theatre. On November 20, 1948 they married at the city’s Notre Dame Catholic Church. After five years they built a house on a half-acre lot courtesy of the Veteran’s Land Act. The house became home to their two sons: Fred born in 1955 and Michael in 1961. Irene transitioned from full-time to part-time nursing to take on her full-time ‘Mom’ role. By 1961 Dad was interested in fast-food franchise opportunities in Saskatchewan. This led him to build the Dairy Queen store in Melfort. Irene and the boys arrived in June 1962 just before the grand opening. The town was the smallest market for DQ in western Canada, so Mom returned to nursing during the store’s winter closure. When DQ allowed Dad to add hot food by the mid-60s the store’s success allowed Mom to reduce her nursing hours so they could take winter getaways to Vancouver Island and Arizona, while the boys were in the capable care of ‘auntie’ Florence McCrea. In 1967 we built a house across from the town’s new Centennial Pool, so our summers were spent enjoying the ‘life aquatic’. Mom often went over at closing time to drag Fred back home. Mom finished her nursing career at Melfort Hospital in the late 60s. Our Christmas 1971 holiday to Los Angeles was an adventure that saw Mom elevate her planning and logistical skills to super-human levels. In 1973 our family sold the DQ allowing Mom to focus on her hobbies of sewing, gardening and playing cards, while Dad worked in sales at Eaton’s and later Vickar Motors. We bought a motorhome in 1974, so Mom found herself learning about cooking with propane and perfecting efficient ways to shower in the super-compact washroom, as well as cramming stuff into Irene Hammer's As the 80s dawned Mom and Dad found themselves as ‘empty-nesters’ so Mom started working part-time at the Melfort Co-op Cafeteria. She enjoyed Campground in Kootenay National Park. the staff comradery and meeting many of her Kicking Horse Pass Spiral Tunnels in Yoho National Park enroute to their favourite site at Redstreak friends as they stopped by for coffee or a meal. Dad retired from Vickar Motors in 1987. In 1988 a 40th anniversary gift from Fred and Michael was a Calgary-Vancouver train excursion through their beloved Rockies for the next August. Sadly the summer proved bittersweet as we lost Dad to cancer on July 1, 1989 before they could ‘get on board’. Mom bravely soldiered on as she attended Michael’s wedding in Saskatoon that August. Although no longer nursing Mom became a loving caregiver when her Mother moved from Edmonton to Melfort in the spring of 1990. To devote energy to every nook and cranny. Dad had always been a train fanatic and there were many stops at the famous this family commitment Mom retired from the Co-op in January 1991. Finding the house so empty and yet so full of memories she moved into Elmwood Court condos in October 1991, soon after Fred’s September wedding in Drumheller, AB. In the 1990s Mom became active with the Catholic Women’s League and participated in many ministries at Our Lady of Consolation. She very much enjoyed daily Mass and bonded with many parishioners like family members. Her strong faith in God helped say goodbye to her Mother in December 1993, just as her first grand-child arrived in April 1994. In her sunset years Mom/Grandma generously shared her love, advice and support with her expanding family as her grand-children wrote their own life stories. At the time of her passing Irene’s strong commitment and example in the field of health care has inspired several of her grand-children to choose medicine, nursing, and life sciences as career pathways. Her torch has been passed to the capable hands of a future generation. Our special thanks goes to the devoted staff at Nirvana Lodge, Parkland Place, Chateau Providence, Melfort Hospital, and Royal University Hospital. Irene Hammer was pre-deceased by her parents Conrad and Olivine (Turcotte) Roy, parents-in-law Fred and Hilda (Prescott) Hammer, husband Ronald W. Hammer, brother Lucien and sister-in-law Lina Roy, brother Roger Roy, and grand-nephew Dillon Jolicoeur, and many aunts, uncles and cousins. She is survived by son Fred (Arlene), grand-daughters Rachel and Sarah, grand-son Matthew; son Michael (Maureen), grand-daughters Veronica and Rebecca; as well as nephews and nieces Maurice (Leslie) Roy, Rosaline (Robert) Carignan, Estelle (Glen) Button, Florence (Buddy) Wilmink; Daniel (Sherry) Roy, Alain (Earlean) Roy, and Leonard Roy; sister-in-law Gwen Roy; nieces Suzanne (Roy) Turcotte, Carmen Roy, and nephew Kevin (Valery) Roy; and many grand-nephews and grand-nieces Memorial contributions in memory of Irene may be directed to the Canadian Cancer Society Suite 500 55 St. Clair Avenue W. Toronto, ON M4V 2Y7 Chalice Canada 26 Union Street Bedford, NS B4A 2B5 and /or Charity of Choice.