Funeral Mass for Dr. Elsie Maxwell Hamm, 92, Lawton will be at 10:00 AM Thursday at Holy Family Catholic Church with Rev. Philip Seeton, pastor officiating. Dr. Hamm died Saturday in Lawton. Burial will be in Sunset Memorial Gardens under the direction of Becker Funeral Home & Cremation Service. Rosary will be at 6:30 PM Wednesday followed by a wake service at 7:00 PM at the Becker Funeral Home Memorial Chapel. She was born December 12, 1917 in Chicago, IL to John and Florence Maxwell. She graduated from Loyola University with a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing and began her career as a public health nurse in Minneapolis, MN. During WWII, she was a Navy nurse in the infirmary at the Seneca, Il shipyard, where she met her husband, Volney Hamm. The were married on July 4, 1945 in Marseilles, IL and moved to Frederick, OK where Volney resumed his movie theater business. They moved to Lawton in 1951 when they bought the Mt. Scott and Hankins Drive In Theatres. Dr. Hamm had a love for literature, culture, and community service. She developed a lecture vocation as a book reviewer and a leader in the civic organizations, such as the Lawton Women's Forum. As president of the Women's Forum, Dr. Hamm established the Hospitality Program for the Allied Officers studying at Ft. Sill. For over 30 years, she and her family alone, sponsored 113 Allied Officers and their families from 22 countries. This experience for the Hamm Family was valuable cultural exchanges and lasting friendships around the world. From 1960 to 1964, she served on the Board of Directors at Comanche County Memorial Hospital, she was a consulting nurse at the Comanche County Health Department and tutored teens at the Treasure Lake Job Corps and served as a board member at St. Barbara Catholic Church. In 1975, she completed her Master's Degree in Human Ecology and Environmental Health at OU, then completed her Ph.D. in Gerontology in 1980 at the age of 62. Dr. Hamm's love for humanity and the aging process brought her to the foundation to what is now the Center for Creative Living. She has been a Charter Board Member to the Center and facilitated a Caregiver's Support Group for over 25 years. She also helped established the Quality of Life Fund at the Center, which assists individuals in need for dentures, eyeglasses, and other items needed for functional living. Dr. Hamm lived her life as an advocate for the elderly and human equality and has been consulted by legislators and community leaders throughout Oklahoma. In 1985, she received Oklahoma's "Outstanding Senior Citizen for the Year" Award from the then governor, Govenor George Nigh. At the age of 70 in 1987, Dr. Hamm became an adjunct professor at Cameron University, teaching Gerontology. For the next 5 years, she continued to be strengthened by the love for her students and their love for her. She also served as a board member for Goodwill Industries, which sponsors Wintergreen Adult Day Care Center. In February, 2006, the section of F Avenue between 38th St. and 27th St. was renamed Dr. Elsie Hamm Drive which is the address for the Center for Creative Living. Survivors include a son; Max Hamm and his wife Nancy, Lawton, three daughters; Lois Horton, Newport News, Virginia, Marcey Hamm, Richardson, Texas, and Roberta Kantowski and her husband Joe, Lawton, a beloved step-son; Gene Hamm, Las Vegas, Nevada, eleven grandchildren; Miles, Mary, Jessica, Janell, Katie, Kenny, Lee, John, Michael, Rebecca and Brian and many beloved nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, a sister Lois Maxwell Stout and a son-in-law; Don C. Horton. Memorial contributions may be made to the Center for Creative Living, 3501 SW Elsie Hamm Dr., Lawton, OK 73505.