Obituary of Elsie A. Hammerstrom

Brigadier Mrs. Elsie A. Hammerstrom, 95, was Promoted to Glory from her bed at Calvary Fellowship Homes, Lancaster, Pennsylvania on December 17, 2010. Mrs. Hammerstrom was the daughter of Alfred and Emma (Lundquist) Swanson who emigrated from Sweden and resided in Jamestown, New York. She was one of six children and is survived by one sister, Mrs. Allene Bohall of Bemus Point, New York. She was the widow of Brigadier Nels Hammerstrom, whom she married on January 4, 1941. They were graduates of the Salvation Army School for Officers Training in 1938. Elsie and Nels entered the school from their hometown of Jamestown, New York. During their thirty-five years as officers, they served in a variety of appointments in the New York and Lake Erie Division. Many more appointments covering a large portion of the Northeast followed. They were a team at the Salvation Army Red Shield Club for servicemen and women in New London, Connecticut. Elsie directed Salvation Army Women's Services for the state of Rhode Island. They also served at the Salvation Army Corps. in Allentown, Pennsylvania. In 1976 they retired from Dayton, Ohio where they served at the Men's Social Services Center. Our beloved mother is survived by her three children. Mrs. Joan H. Lingle (Carl) of Willow Street, Pennsylvania; Mrs. Judith H. Alvarez (William) of Kingwood, Texas; David N. Hammerstrom (Nikki) of Groton, Connecticut; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Interment will be in Sunset Hill Cemetery, Busti, New York. Memorials may be made to the Brigadier Mrs. Elsie A. Hammerstrom Endowed Scholarship Fund at Asbury University, One Macklem Dr., Wilmore, KY. 40390-1198. You may light a candle in remembrance of Elsie at www.lindfuneralhome.com