EAST PHARSALIA – Florence C. Sayles Bennett Hammond, 79, life-long resident of the East Pharsalia/Preston area, passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012, in the Chenango Memorial Hospital.
Born to Clarence and Cleone “Peggy” King Sayles in July of 1932, Florence grew up in East Pharsalia and was a 1950 graduate of the Norwich High School. On Dec. 15, 1950, in Halstead, Pa., she married Francis E. Bennett who predeceased her in May of 1973. On July 11, 1975, in Norwich, Florence married the Rev. Donald R. Hammond, who passed away on Feb. 8, 2012. Known for her good cooking, especially her awesome apple pie, Florence spent her working years as a head cook, first at Preston Manor for 7 years and later at the Chenango Valley Home in Norwich, from which she retired in 1998. She continued to make her home in Preston from 1957 through 2008, when her health made it necessary for her to move to the Valley View Manor Nursing Home, and then to Chenango Memorial Hospital. A lifetime and active member of the East Pharsalia Baptist Church, Florence taught Sunday School and, for half a century, directed their Christmas programs.
Florence is survived by her children and their spouses: Wayne Bennett of East Pharsalia, Mark and Laurie Bennett of South Plymouth, Robin and Larry Young of Bainbridge, Frank and Sherry Bennett of Preston, Crystal and Don Riddle of East Pharsalia, and Joy Bennett and her companion, Dave MacLaury, of Linklaen. Also surviving are 15 grandchildren and 14 1/2 great grandchildren; Florence’s sisters and their spouses: Elma and Nelson Wright of Homer, Patricia and Harold Morse of Flint, Mich, Verda Wherner of Cincinnatus, Margaret and Carroll Smith of Sherburne, and Myrtle and Dick Angle of New Berlin; her brother, Edwin Sayles and wife Donna of East Pharsalia; and many nieces and nephews.
Funeral services for Florence will be held at 1:30 p.m. Sunday from the East Pharsalia Baptist Church. The Rev. Paul Hills of Sherburne will officiate. Interment will be at a later date in the J.D. Lewis Cemetery. Friends are invited to call at the R.J. Fahy Funeral Home on Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m.
Please consider memorial contributions to the East Pharsalia Baptist Church, P. O. Box 26, East Pharsalia, New York 13758.