Andrew J. and Margaret A. Hammerl
Andrew J. and Margaret A. Hammerl, 84 and 82, died tragically Sunday, July 23, 2017 in an automobile accident in Niagara County.
Both were born in Buffalo, Andrew to the late Andrew G. and Lillian Mergler Hammerl and Margaret to the late Arthur and Margaret McLaughlin Haberman.
Andy and Peg, as all fondly knew them, met in college. Andy attended Canisius College, Class of 1955, and Peg went to D’Youville College, Class of 1956. Married at St. James Church, Buffalo, N.Y. on October 11, 1958, they lived their lives dedicated to their families and friends, their communities, and most of all, their faith and each other. Andy was an executive for Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Avon Products, Inc. and the State of Connecticut. In 1972, Andy received his MBA degree from Fordham University. Peg taught English at Riverside High School, Nardin Academy, was Director of Religious Education at St. Gregory the Great Church in Williamsville, N.Y., and worked at an Internal Medicine office in Stamford, Conn. In 1977, Peg received her Masters in Religious Education from Fairfield University. Peg was invited to become an Associate of the Congregation of Notre Dame, an honor she held close to her heart and that embodied her faith.
In the early years of their marriage Andy and Peg were active in the Sodality at Canisius College. Later they joined Teams of Our Lady, making lifelong friends and enriching their faith. In Connecticut, Andy volunteered at the Soup Kitchen and was an active member of the Stamford Senior Men’s Club. His hobbies were photography, swimming, and delving into the latest technology. He was capable of fixing anything, always traveling with his “Grandpa’s fix-it box” to help with whatever projects his children and grandchildren found for him. Peg taught for 20 years at Literacy Volunteers in Stamford. She co-chaired the Meditation Group at St. Maurice’s Church and enjoyed her water aerobics class at the YMCA. She was a yoga “pioneer”, beginning to take classes in the late 1960s.
Together Andy and Peg served as lectors and Eucharistic ministers at St. Maurice’s Church. Avid tennis fans, they were members of both doubles tennis and double paddle tennis groups. Andy and Peg traveled extensively though the United States and abroad. They loved meeting new people and immersing themselves in the local traditions. They made two pilgrimages to the Holy Land and one to Spain with Teams of Our Lady. G’Ma and G’Pa, as they were known to their grandchildren, were avid fans at Kelly, Matt and Colleen’s sporting events, school plays, and music recitals. Wherever Andy and Peg traveled, they made it a priority to find the local mini-golf course, always following it with a trip to the local ice cream parlor. The birth of their greatgrandchildren brought them immeasurable joy, as they witnessed the beginning of the next generation. Andy and Peg lived life finding the best in every situation, exemplifying their faith in all their actions.
They are survived by their children, Mary Elizabeth Brennan and her husband John of Atlanta, Ga., and Paul R. Hammerl and Jillian Caruso of Kingston, N.Y., their grandchildren, Kelly Brennan and Dominick Succardi of West Orange, N.J., Matthew Brennan and Jennifer Handel of Hoboken, N.J., and Colleen Brennan of Atlanta, Ga. Two great-grandchildren, Roark and Maeve Succardi, also survive.
In addition to their parents, Andrew’s sister Rosemary Lawrence and her husband Robert and Margaret’s brother, Arthur Haberman and his wife, Mary are also deceased.
The family will receive friends at the Rapin Funeral Home, 2480 Kensington Ave, Amherst, N.Y., on Sunday July 30, 2017 from 2 to 6 p.m.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Monday, July 31, 2017, at St. Gregory the Great Church in Williamsville, N.Y.
Interment will follow in Mt. Calvary Cemetery.
The family requests that memorial donations may be made to Canisius College, Attn: Institutional Advancement, 2001 Main Street, Buffalo, N.Y. 14208 or Literacy Volunteers of Stamford, c/o Family Centers, 40 Arch Street, Greenwich, Conn. 06830.