Betty A. Hammel

Betty Hammel, 96, Bismarck, formerly of Dunn Center and Dickinson, passed away on Friday, February 9, 2018, at the Baptist Health Care Center with family by her side. Services will be held at 10:00 am MST Monday, February 12, at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, 525 3rd Street East, Dickinson, ND, with Rev. Jordan Dosch officiating. Visitation will be held from 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm Sunday, February 11, at Eastgate Funeral Service, 2302 East Divide Ave., Bismarck, where a rosary/vigil service will begin at 6:00 pm. The graveside service will be 1:30 pm MST Monday at the Oakdale Cemetery, rural Killdeer, ND. Betty was born at Snow, ND, on November 27, 1921, the second daughter of Ned and Annie (Polensky) Buresh. She received her education at New Hradec at the Parochial Boarding School up to the 6th grade and grades 7 and 8 at a rural school. She learned to speak English at the time she went to country school. Betty worked for area families and for the Schnell Dairy in Dickinson and Ma Bodwins Café in Killdeer. She married Raymond Hammel in New Hradec on July 5, 1943. To this union four children were born. She and Raymond ranched north of Dunn Center. Betty was a great cook, baker, and Mother, doing all the work of a ranch wife the hard way without running water or electricity for many years. She and Raymond retired into Dickinson in August of 1977 where she was a great walker of many miles. She loved to play Bingo. She and Raymond square danced for many years together. Betty volunteered at the Sunset Senior Center for close to 30 years for five and sometimes six days a week. She also volunteered at Evergreen Assisted Living from the time it opened until she became a resident there. She lived there for many years and when her declining health made her move to “skilled nursing care,” she was moved to the Baptist Health Care Center in Bismarck until her passing. Betty left behind her four children and their families, Tom (Cathy), Jefferson, IA, Terry (Kimberly Larson), Hot Springs, SD, Anne (Jerry) Schettler, Bismarck, and Kathy (Paul) Ott, Herried, SD; 11 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren; two sisters, Fran Zastoupil, Bismarck and Lori Praus, Las Vegas, NV; two sisters-in-law, Catherine Seidler, Bismarck, and Clarice Guenther, Colorado Springs, CO; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Raymond; her parents; one brother; two sisters; four siblings in infancy; and one grandson.