Richard Hammond Obituary

To the family of Dick Hammond,

First let me say I thought the memorial service was a very nice tribute to Dick. Such a large turnout of so many different types of people made you realize how many lives he had touched along his path and how diversified their interests were.

I was a bit overwhelmed when I stood up and took the mike and turned around to see all those people!
I have to admit that speaking over a mike scares me so bad my mind just goes blank. I was totally unprepared to talk or I would have thought about things I’d like to say and maybe written notes.

I thought you did a wonderful job Butch, and I knew I had to share something about a friend and partner that I had known for 52 years but my mind went blank and I couldn’t tell you today one thing I said. So I am taking you up on your offer to share some of my thoughts and fond memories with you all.

It was such a shock for me to get the news of Dick’s passing and it makes you reminisce of past times. I wondered how and why we stayed close for 52 years. I think trickriders share a common bond, maybe from sharing the bumps and bruises of learning to trickride. When Connie and Dick and I were all at the ranch in Morrison, CO at the same time I was 19 and they were 16. Dick Griffith would share stories with us about the early days when they used to compete, and he was a world champion. All of us hung on to every word he said of course, and Dick Griffith’s hero, Tad Lucas became my hero just from hearing about her. Dick Griffith always said that hard tricks came easy for Connie. It is true that she would do them so smoothly that people didn’t appreciate how hard they were. On the other hand, Dick Hammond and I had to work harder to accomplish what we wanted. Maybe that’s why we were drawn together. I guess since I was older and thought I should be the mother hen so when we became partners, I probably was bossy.

We formed the first trickriding group and called ourselves the Flying Cimmarons”. We did that because at that time the committees would hire a girl from Texas, California and somewhere on the other side of the country and expect them to all be different but they all did the same tricks. So we decided to work together, never duplicating our tricks and have a beginning and an ending and that’s what we did. I was married at the time and he and his sister were the other two in the group. When that dissolved, Dick and I formed another group we called “The Fireballs”. As I recall, that was due largely to trying to save money. Times were tough then. Our breast collars had a red C with wings and we could turn that C into a round red ball more economically than make a new breast collar for our saddles.

Dick had taught Bev and Butch to trickride so we just formed a new group. Butch was married to Charlene by then. He was quite the athlete of his own in basketball I think and had a lot of spring and bounce and of course personality plus so that is why if he would fall on his head or have any kind of wreck he would just jump u and take his hat off and bow and the people cheered. Dick on the other hand was a perfectionist. That came from learning from Dick Griffith. He took a lot of wrecks trying to do all the tricks Dick Griffith ever told us about in competition. Dick didn’t have to do those tough, next-to-impossible, tricks, but he just wanted to prove to himself that he could do them. He wasn’t the “ham” that Butch was though. He was so serious about his riding and it was hard for him to “sell” himself. I was always scolding him to smile more and “sell it” because people didn’t realize how tough his tricks were! Another thing I would get after him for was the non-matching socks. I’d tell him you can’t wear two different colored socks with your feet up in the air doing a tail stand or a shoulder stand etc. He would laugh and tell me he had two more pair just like them at home!

Dick is the one who introduced me to Harry in the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver when the convention was held there in January. That was 47 years ago and that relationship has lasted a long time too.

After I left the “Fireball” group, and took up with Harry, Dick went his way too and remarried and had two more fine sons which I never had the pleasure of meeting until the service. I knew about them as I would occasionally see Dick at a mutual friend’s funeral or when we scattered Dick Griffith’s ashes along with Connie and Dick Griffith’s son, Tad, at the ranch at Morrison, CO where we learned to trickride. Sometimes I would see Dick at the Pikes Peak or Bust rodeo in Colorado Springs or talk with him on the phone. It didn’t matter if it was ten years or five or twenty, we just took up where we left off, as if it had just been a day or a week.

A few years ago I asked him to come down one day to one of our trickriding schools and share with the students and have lunch with us. He seemed to really enjoy those days and w would have a reunion with other past trickriders like Candy and Ryan Rodewald.

One day he told me he was going to bring down a friend to the ranch to meet me and Harry, a writer for Western Horseman and a fellow Range Rider. He introduced Loren Whitemore to Harry and that introduction resulted in Loren writing Harry’s life story, “The Duke of the Chutes”, after two years of research. This was another relationship that would last, thanks to Dick.

Dick was a good friend and a great riding partner. We had a relationship that lasted for 52 years. I will miss him a lot. Even though I didn’t see him often, I always knew I could count on him if I ever needed him. His Mom and Dad and all three sisters always made me welcome whenever I came to their home. I know you, his family, along with his three sons and Butch, will miss him too.

I share your loss but so grateful to have had our paths cross in this life. I hope some of each of your special memories with Dick will help to comfort you during this difficult time.
Much love to you all,
Karen Vold

Thank you from the entire staff from Swan Law Funeral Directors serving celebrating Dick's life was a true honor...thank you.

Dick, you blessed my life. You had a soft hand with a horse, your crooked fingers could pick a good guitar and you enjoyed reliving all the old rodeo stories. Thanks for the good times, Pard. I'll miss you a lot. You were truly and "All Around" hand ... in life. Sleep peacefully in the arms of our Lord. JD Ross

Dick was a friend of the family. My sister and I took trick riding lessions from him and Bev back in the 60's, we even learned to roman ride. He will be missed. My condolences to his family.

Sincere condolences to all the Hammond family. May your memories of happier times bring joy to your hearts and ease the sorrow of your loss.

Helen (Heath) May, Yuma, AZ

Our hearts are with our friends Charles Hammond & Mandy Kious and their friends and family in deepest sympathy of their loss. We are thinking of you in Austin, Texas.
Love,
Ryan and Alain O'Tool

I knew Dick when he hired me as his office manager from 2001-2006. My condolences go out to his family some of whom I met while on the job. Will miss dropping by the office to visit him.

RIP Dick. We'll miss you in Teller County. He's gone and rode over the Great Divide now.

Dick was my first cousin on his mother's side. I really only knew him a little in my younger years, but I remember most admiring him and his sisters' abilities in the rodeo, particularly in trick riding, my favorite event. My heart and prayers go out to his family and will be thinking of you all especially tomorrow, Feb. 9.

Dick was a great guy-very likeable,pleasant and a pleasure to do business with. We will miss him!!!

Dick was my first cousin. We grew up in the east so our paths never crossed. It had been a goal of mine to get out to Colorado and acquaint myself with my western cousins but never did it. A lesson learned is never put things off, as you never know what will happen. My sympathy to all his family.
Fred Hammond, Westlake,Ohio.

I enjoyed our friendship since our youth starting in 1954. My thoughts go out to his family. Thanks for the great memories.

We are traveling throughout CA and AZ this winter and rec'd the devastating news of Dick's death via friends. He was our first friend when we moved to Teller Co nearly seven years ago. We talked on the phone just a few days before leaving on our trip and planned to get together when we returned. We are so saddened by this news - we thought the world of Dick and will miss him very much. Our deepest sympathies to his family.

Happy Trails Cowboy, it was indeed an honor to have known Dick and done business with him, our mountains will not be the same without him.
Toby and Deb

Dick was a kind and generous man, he will be greatly missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Dick's family. We have worked with him over many years, always being treated with respect. He was a gentlemen, and trusted adviser. We will miss him, as we know many more of you will too.
Russ & Dawn Skillman, Santa Fe, NM

It has been my please to have known him. He was a nice man.

I just want to let Dick's family know how much he will be missed. He always treated me with respect and I'll always remember when we talked last, that he told me he considered me a "Friend" not just a business associate. Thanks Dick for letting me know to not let those opportunities pass you by. Your fellow CCIM and ALC, Craig Ginter

Our thoughts and prays are with Dick and the family in this time of your unexpected loss of a really good guy. We enjoyed the many times we were with Dick. He will be missed by many and thought of often-----Bud & Brucine Rice

Dick was a much-loved, highly respected, and trusted friend and colleague for more than 30 years. He was humble and always a gentleman. He will be sadly missed and always in my heart and prayers.
Holly Remington, Guffey