Bruce D. Hammer

Bruce D Hammer, beloved husband, father, and friend passed peacefully on April 24, 2025 after his battle with leukemia. He was surrounded by his wife, Faye, and loving family at his home in Manti, UT. He was 70 years old.

 Bruce was born June 29, 1954 in Ogden, UT to parents Dean L and Julia (Van De Graaff) Hammer. During his early years his grandparents and his family would go camping, fishing, hunting, or rockhounding. This gave him a lifelong love of the outdoors. Grandpa Van De Graaff also taught him to enjoy Twinkies at a very early age. 

 After Bruce’s father earned his master’s degree, the family moved to Kaysville and later moved to Moab, UT. Bruce loved Moab and the red rocks. His family moved to Rancho Cordova, CA when he was about 10 and they lived there until his junior high school years when they returned to Moab. He graduated from Grand County high and entered the Air Force shortly afterwards.

He served his country and was honorably discharged in 1974. 

 He returned to Moab and in May of 1975 he met Debra Lee Thayn and they were married in September in the Manti Temple. They had many adventures together and lived in Washington, Utah, and Arizona. They ultimately settled in Sanpete County in 1994. They welcomed 11 children: Janelle, David (Ashley), Erin (Elizabeth), Kevin, Jeffrey, Joshua, Sarah (Chris) Harper, Lorianne, Jacob (Cristina), Amberle, and Aidan (Rebekka).Though Debbie and Bruce parted ways, they remained good friends and loving parents to their children.

 From another marriage, Bruce was blessed with 6 more children: Kaziah, Jonathan, Benjamin, Alissah, Bethany, and Daniel. Bruce also married Faye Marston and together they were blessed with 4 daughters: Katherine (Spencer) Jordan, Rebekah (Dylan) Poulsen, Annie (Kayden) Christiansen, and Lisle. 

 Bruce loved music and played many instruments. He wrote many songs, singing and playing them for his family. His passion for nature and his beloved hometown of Moab was evident in the way he shared them with others. One of his favorite traditions was taking his family camping in the La Sal Mountains, especially at Warner Lake. His family was very important to him and he loved them greatly.

 He was multi-talented and worked several jobs. He was able to use his Air Force training to enter the Power Plant industry where he became an electrician and a Power Plant Operator. 

He served in the American Legion Post 31 located in Manti, UT.

 He was preceded in death by his mother Julia (Van De Graaff) Hammer, his son Kevin Austin Hammer, his grandson Jared Thomas Harper, and his sister Laura (Altig) Hammer. 

He leaves a legacy of 21 children and several step children including: Steven (Kristen) Jordan, Thomas (Trista) Jordan, Sarah (Brent) Wilcox, Miriam (Nate) Thomas, Melissa (Michael) Kellogg, James Marston. He had 43 grandchildren with 1 on the way and 3 great grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, May 3, 2025 at 11:30 a.m. at  (295 S Main St, Manti, UT), with a viewing from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. prior to services at the church. Burial will be at the Manti City Cemetery. 

To Watch Funeral Services Live, Click Here. The Live Zoom Link will Activate at 11:15 a.m. MST prior to services.