Joseph Maurice Hammond

Life and Legacy of Joseph "Joe" Maurice Hammond A Time to Grow Joseph "Joe" Maurice Hammond was born on September 18, 1945, in Orange NJ, to his loving mother, Gladys Hammond. He shared the love of his mother with his three siblings: Leola, Herbert and Tracey. He was educated in the public Schools of East Orange (Essex County), NJ and graduated from East Orange High School in June, 1963. He was employed by General Motors, Linden, NJ; Wagner Electric, Livingston, NJ; and NOVA Electronics, Nutley, NJ. A Time to Love In 1968, he met the love of his life, a Southern girl named Delores Y. Ransome (Dee). Memories of that first date are hilarious. An evening in New York for dinner and a show had been planned. Joe arrived in his convertible Thunderbird to pick up his date. Her sister, Dorothy, came out with her suitcase, hopped in the car and said, "I need a ride to Penn Station." Being a gentleman, he took her to her destination, and remarked, "With that suitcase, I thought she was planning to be with us the entire evening." On November 1, 1969, he was joined in marriage to Delores Y. Ransome. Joe and Dee celebrated 49 years of marriage and always had meaningful support from family and friends. Joe always maintained a strong work ethic and was truly monetarily wise. He would often say to Dee, "If you cannot pay cash for it, then you don't need it." Of course, she did not always listen. A Time to Work In 1979, Joe expressed a strong desire to become a police officer. On August 1, 1979, he was one of twenty-one recruits to be sworn in at ceremonies held at City Hall in East Orange, NJ. He attended the Essex County Police Academy training center in Cedar Grove, NJ beginning September 24, 1979. He began in-service duty in the East Orange Police Department on December 17, 1979. Throughout his many, many years of serving his community, he received awards for "Outstanding Performance", "Command Citations", and "Official Commendations" for his bravery, dedication and commitment to perform his sworn duties. Dee collected and preserved all of his awards to show him how proud she was of him and of his many accomplishments. After serving 25 years with the East Orange Police Department, he retired in 2002. In 2004, the retirees made their home in Virginia. Last Call He was called to his heavenly home on December 18, 2018. He will be remembered for many things, but especially as one who was dedicated to his wife, family, and his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers. He leaves to cherish his legacy of humility, service, loyalty, and compassion: his devoted wife Delores, brother Herbert, sister Tracey, niece Joann, nephew Aaron, great-nephew Jamil and a host of family and friends. His mother, Gladys and his sister, Leola preceded him in death. The Joseph M Hammond family expresses sincere appreciation to Ms. Elluree Harris and her truly amazing staff at Safe-N-Secure "Assist U", LLC. Thank you for all of the love and personal care given for the past 2 1/2 years. You will forever have a special place in our hearts. The family will always be eternally grateful to the Heartland Hospice team for their dedication, support and medical attention given to Joe.

Tributes

Joseph Maurice Hammond

September 18, 1945 - December 18, 2018