January Ham

On Sunday, January 11, 2015, God quietly and sweetly whispered, “Come home thou good and faithful servant and take your rest.” Being obedient to His word, DEACON JANUARY HAM departed this life to be with the Lord. The sixth child of Willie and Betty Brockington Ham, was born in Darlington, South Carolina on August 5, 1917. January received Christ at an early age and was baptized at Provident Baptist Church under the late Reverend Gregg. He received his formal education in the Darlington, South Carolina School System. He met and married the late Lucille Brown and from this union they were blessed with nine children, four of whom preceded him in death. In the early forties, they moved to Baltimore, Maryland and in 1959 January Ham became a member of the Mt. Winans first Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor Herbert S. Moore where he has been a member for 56 years. He quickly gained recognition for his faithfulness and dedicated service and was subsequently set aside for Diakonos. He was ordained as a Deacon by Rev. Samuel Ray, Pastor. Deacon Ham worked as a longshoreman at the Sparrows Point Ship Yard and later became self-employed in the home improvement business. During this time he gave many young men the opportunity to learn the home improvement trade. Some of whom have become successfully employed, while others started their own business. Some of Deacon Ham's other accomplishments include the addition of a room to the rear of the church which now houses the furnace room, as well as the new ladies' room, and was instrumental in the installation of our baptismal pool and rightfully so because Deacon Ham became Pastor Smith's assistant in baptizing. If you were baptized between 1965 and 1995, Deacon Ham baptized you as he never missed a single baptism serice during that 30-year period. January was an avid sportsman; he loved fishing, boating, hunting and baseball. He loved the color red and peppermint candy! A very humble man, he was loved by many and respected by all. His desire was to live to be 100 years old, but 97 and one-half is not bad. God has been truly good. Deacon Ham leaves to cherish his memory: two sons, Joseph (Alice) and Amos; three daughters, Hattie Edwards, Rosalie Ham and Ineitha (Carson) Maloney; three grandsons, George Edwards, Kevin Hunter and Albert Coston (Monique); two granddaughters, Michele (Scott) Zickefoose and Sheena Ham; six great-grandchildren; and a host of relatives and friends.

Tributes

January Ham

August 5, 1917 - January 11, 2015