1LT, US Army, Shirley M. O’Keefe Hammar

Shirley O’Keefe (Hammar) enlisted as a Red Cross nurse in the U.S. Army. ¹ In 1946 she was stationed in Augsburg, Germany, near Munich. ¹ She married H. Gordon Hammar, while both were serving in the U.S. Army in Germany shortly after WWII. ²

Shirley Mae O’Keefe Hammar was born in Oakland, California to Irene Williams and Arthur O’Keefe, and was one of two daughters. ¹ Her mother died when she was seven, and she and her older sister Patsy were brought up by their maternal grandparents. ² She attended Sunset Elementary School. ³ She obtained her bachelor’s in nursing from Providence College and attended the College of Holy Names near Oakland, California. ²

O’Keefe Hammar worked as a registered nurse for nearly 50 years in various hospitals, including Wilson N. Jones Hospital in Sherman, Texas, Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the University of New Mexico Hospital. ² After retiring she served as a volunteer at the Animal Humane Association and the New Mexico Museum of Natural History. ² She was married to H. Gordon Hammar for 51 years, a retired LCOL USAF and owner of Eddy Hammar Hardware. ² Her obituary states O’Keefe loved animals, particularly ducks and dogs, and she worked to get the Albuquerque Tribune to post images of animals at the pound so that they could be adopted. ^{2, 4}