Clarence Elwood Hamm journeyed to his eternal home to be reunited with his beloved wife, Ruth, and to sing with the heavenly choir on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015. He was the oldest of six children born to Edith and Marvin Hamm, on Oct. 8, 1925, in Covington, Kentucky. At the age of 16, he felt God's call to move a few miles from home to the campus of God's Bible School in Cincinnati Ohio. It was here he met and fell in love with Ruth, who later became his devoted wife of nearly 67 years. In 1943, at the age of 18, he was drafted into the U.S. Navy. Following basic training at the Navy Air Base in Sampson, New York, he was stationed at Coco Solo Navy Station in Panama, where he attended radio school and learned to install and uninstall radar equipment on Navy fighter planes, including the Grumman F4F Wildcat, the Grumman F6F Hellcat, the Vought F4U Corsair and the Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber. From Panama, he was sent to radar jamming school in Hawaii and was stationed in Pearl Harbor for 13 months. He was then assigned to Seattle's Navy Air Station. While he was on a one-week break, Ruth made the 3-4 day journey to Seattle by train, and they were married on Christmas Eve of 1945. Upon discharge from the Navy in May of 1946, his squadron of 31 men received the Asiatic Pacific Area Campaign Medal (Panama), the American Area Campaign Medal (Panama) and the World War II Victory Medal. He returned to God's Bible School after Navy discharge, to complete his education. Immediately after obtaining his ministerial license, he worked for General Electric, where he helped make jet engines for the F-84 Thunderjet. His first pastoral assignment was in North Bend, Ohio. Throughout the years, he ministered to small congregations in various parts of the U.S, while also working in other jobs in order to meet family financial obligations. Other ministerial appointments included churches in Leipsic, Ohio; Carlisle, Kentucky; and Shreveport, Louisiana. In 1963, he began working for the U.S. Post Office as a letter carrier, and retired in 1992, following 29 years of dedicated service. He loved the work and getting to know the people on his routes over the years. For a few years, during the 1970's, he also served as the part-time/weekend minister for Cedar Lake Chapel, located in a resort community near Hinton, Oklahoma. After retiring from the post office and the ministry, he and Ruth remained very involved in their local church, New Hope Worship Center. Other "retirement" activities included playing Santa Claus at local malls and at private events, and serving as a Wal-Mart greeter, in Yukon, where he was given the opportunity to sing patriotic songs over the store's intercom system after 9-11. This was a dream job for him - singing AND greeting people, while sharing God's love! The things Clarence loved most were: his Lord, his wife and family, his church, music, telling corny jokes, laughter, and spreading joy to others. He was a "glass half full" person and always looked at the positive. He will be dearly missed by a host of friends and family. He was preceded in death by the love of his life and wife of 66 years, Ruth; grandson, Caleb, and brother Cecil. He is survived by daughters: Bonnie Jones; Brenda Lovell and husband, Earl; Sheryl McLain and husband, Kyle; and son, David Hamm. He is also survived by Lynnette Hamm and his "adopted children" Rev. William and Shirley Sillings and their three daughters. Surviving grandchildren include: Joshua Jones, Amanda Rose, Nicholas Lovell, Melissa Gordon, Michael Ray, Seth Hamm, Sean McLain, and four great grandchildren. Surviving siblings include Howard "Bud" Hamm and wife, Jackie; Roy Hamm; Betty Smith and husband, Ken, and Joanne Heger and husband, Greg. Viewing will be held from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., on Thursday at Mercer-Adams Funeral Home, 3925 N. Asbury, Bethany, with family present from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Services will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, at New Hope Worship Center, 3513 North Geraldine Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73112. Graveside services will follow at Bethany Cemetery. The family expresses its deep gratitude to the entire staff of Touchmark Assisted Living Facility and Centennial Hospice for the compassion and love displayed to Clarence while his was in their care. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to New Hope Worship Center, c/o Clarence Hamm Memorial Fund, or to Touchmark Resident Fund, on behalf of Clarence Hamm, 2801 Shortgrass Road, Edmond, OK 73003. Funeral Service Friday, October 9, 2015 10:00 AM New Hope Worship Center 3513 N. Geraldine Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73112