Evelyn Elvira Thronson Hammerstrom Walker

Evelyn Elvira Thronson Hammerstrom Walker passed away on February 24, 2012, in Vancouver, Washington at the age of 99. She was born in Tacoma, Washington on August 11, 1912 and was the daughter of Thomas and Gunda Hanson Thronson. Evelyn graduated from Lincoln High School in 1929 and attended the University of Puget Sound. She married Martin Hammerstrom in 1937 and they made their home in Tacoma. Martin and Evelyn had one son, Richard, in 1943. Martin tragically died in 1950. As a young person, Evelyn was an avid outdoorswoman and enjoyed skiing, hiking and camping. She was also one of the first women to climb Mount Rainier when she was nineteen. She also loved music, art and literature. The majority of her career was spent as an Administrative Assistant to the Commander at McChord Air Force Base and worked for such notable commanders as Colonel Thad Foster, USAAF and Air Commodore Richard Sharp, RCAF (NORAD). Following her career at McChord, she taught at Tacoma Community College. Evelyn served for many years on the Board of The American Cancer Society of Tacoma and was also a long term supporter of The Tacoma Symphony Orchestra and The Tacoma Youth Symphony Orchestra. Another enduring enthusiasm was the Sound and boating. For many years, she and her second husband, Walter Walker, were members of the Tacoma Yacht Club where Evelyn also served as the President of the "Shipmates." She was also a lifelong member of The Order of The Eastern Star and the Daughters of Norway. Widowed a second time, Evelyn moved to a retirement community in Vancouver, Washington in 2000 to be near her family. There, she met Arthur Kuhn and they married in 2001. Arthur passed away in 2007. She was predeceased by her parents, her brothers Alden and Clarence and her sister Lois Neitzel. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law Richard and Jan Hammerstrom, of Vancouver; her grand-daughter and husband, Ellie and Chris Olson; and great-grand-children, Donald and Marie Thompson, all of Portland; nephews Thomas and Glorya Neitzel of Yelm and Robert and Jeanne Neitzel of Naperville, Illinois; her niece Sallie Jo and Craig Stonehocker of Tacoma; and her sister-in-law Hazel Zetterberg and her family of Puyallup. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the American Cancer Society of Tacoma, The Humane Society of Southwest Washington or the Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital Foundation of Vancouver. .

Evelyn Elvira Thronson Hammerstrom Walker

August 11, 1912 - February 24, 2012