Frances "Fran" Gowen Hammond

Former Hastings resident Frances “Fran” Gowen Hammond, 92, passed away Saturday, March 29, 2025, at Ridgewood Care Center, Seward, NE.

Services will be at 10:30 a.m. , Thursday, April 3, at First United Methodist Church in Hastings with Rev. Lance Clay officiating. Burial will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, April 3, at Ong Cemetery in Ong. There will be no viewing or visitation. Memorials may be given to the First United Methodist Church. The service will be live-streamed on Livingston Butler Volland Funeral Home’s website. To view the service, go to Fran’s obituary and click the play button shown towards the bottom of the page. 

Frances Gowen Hammond, daughter of Edwin Anderson and Violette (Petersen) Anderson was born September 7, 1932, at the rural family farm near Ong, NE. She was baptized and confirmed in the Ong Lutheran Church. She attended the rural school through fifth grade and graduated from Ong High School in 1950.

Frances was married to Gay Gowen on September 23, 1950. This union was blessed with four children, Nancy, Neil, Terry, and Debra. Her life was busy raising her children, doing bookkeeping for the family business, raising big gardens, sewing, and teacher’s aide and nurse’s aide work. Fran and her first husband Gay, loved to fish, ride motorcycles, play cards, dance, and attending their children’s school activities.

Fran’s greatest joy was being a seamstress, making her daughter’s clothes, grandkids’ clothes, sewing wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses, and working in Beckler’s Men’s Clothing Store for 18 years. After moving to Hastings, she acquired many more friends and clients who needed alterations. Fran was a member of the First United Methodist Church, and there was never a person who didn’t like her. She always had a smile, and she took pride in her clothes, always getting compliments on how nice she looked. Fran also did volunteer work for Mary Lanning Hospital and Good Samaritan Village.

Frances was preceded in death by her first husband, Gaylord “Gay” Gowen of 50 years; parents, Edwin & Violette Anderson; sisters and brothers-in-law, Esther & Joe Brown and Betty & Leo Figurski; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Gordon & Doris Gowen, Leonard Gowen, and Gerald & Betty Boswell (and second wife, Ruth); father-in-law and mother-in-law, Clem & Hazel Gowen; second husband, Merton Hammond; and daughter-in-law, Debbie Gowen.

SURVIVORS:
Daughters & Sons-in-law: 
  Nancy Gowen-Nieser & Don Nieser
  Deb Gowen Virchow & Delbert Virchow
Sons & Daughters-in-law: 
  Neil & Monica Gowen
  Terry & Connie Gowen 
Step-Son & Spouse: 
  Roger & Arlene Hammond
Step-Daughter & Spouse: 
  Debbie & Steve Hartman
Grandchildren: 
 10
Step-Granddaughter & Spouse: 
  Gloria & Scott LeMaster
Great-Grandchildren: 
  15
Step-Great-Grandchildren: 
  9
Sister-in-law: 
  Maxine Gowen
Other relatives and friends