I'm posting some pictures from Rick's Celebration of Life Service which took place on Saturday May 2nd, 2009 in Greenwood, IN. There are more photos from the service in the Photo Gallery if you'd like to see them (also in right menu).

Rick was cremated and at some point in the future, the family will be re-tracing Rick's walking route (in a car) and scattering some of his ashes where he began the walk, where he ended the walk, and in every state he walked through. This will also mark what I feel is a fitting conclusion to the documentary that I've been making about my Dad's walk.

The service was also captured on video and as soon as I have the tape converted to a digital form, I'll post it here for anyone who would like to watch it.

Rick Hammersley's Celebration of Life Service Information

There is an online guest book (at the above link) if you'd like to share some of your thoughts with the family, including any favorite stories you remember about Rick. You are also free to leave comments on this blog.

Rick's Celebration of Life Service will be held at the Greenwood United Methodist Church at 11:00am on Saturday May 2nd, 2009. After the service, there will be a time and place for family and out-of-town guests to gather.

Memorial contributions may be made in memory of Richard Hammersley to the VA Medical Center, 921 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73104 or Gateway for Cancer Research, 1336 Basswood Road, Schaumburg, IL 60173.

Greenwood United Methodist Church
525 N Madison Ave
Greenwood, IN, 46142
Google Map

Greenwood is about 15 miles South of Indianapolis off of I-65, or 15 miles Southeast of the Indianapolis International Airport using I-465 to US31.

Rick passed away around 10:50am this morning. We were all with him for the last hours of his life. He went peacefully and is now no longer in pain.

Rick went into surgery today, Thursday March 19, 2009 at the VA Hospital in Oklahoma City. I've consolidated all the surgical updates into their own menu item on the right side. If you'd like to review his condition after the walk, his battle with the chemo/radiation treatments and the challenges he faced during surgery, please click on that link and read his thoughts up to surgery, and then my updates while he was in the hospital.

On Thursday at 6:00 AM I'll enter the surgical area at the VA Hospital in Oklahoma City. Sometime later that morning a team of doctors from the University of Oklahoma Medical Center will conduct the surgical removal of my tumor. It has been six days since I found out my schedule...six days I've had to think about it. It has been a pretty tough six days to get through. I've wanted this surgery for the last four months, but now that it is just about here, it is looming a bit scary to me. I'm sure it is because I've been through it before and I remember that like it was yesterday.

I've tried not to think about it but that is asking a bit too much. I'm not worried per say, but I'm not looking forward to it either. I wish it was about two months from now and most of the unpleasantness was over. I guess that's only natural. Anyway in a a couple of days I should be in an ICU and hopefully mending. That's the plan.

Last weekend grandson Nic had a couple of scrimmage baseball games. Following is some pictures I took that day. The first picture shows Jude looking for first base in a pickup game at home. The seconds shows Nic heading for first with a base hit. The last shows Nic playing third base. It was a lot of fun.

As promised, here are some pictures I went out an took last Saturday showing a little bit of Cushing. It is known as the pipeline crossroads of the world and has its fortunes tied very closely to the oil industry. The terrain is slightly rolling hills to flat. There doesn't seem to be too much agriculture around but there are farms/ranches that have a lot of cattle in their fields. Mostly though around here I think it is light industry and the oil industry. Just south of where I'm currently sitting, there are probably about 100-125 large storage tanks for oil, gasoline, or natural gas. There are several more on the north side of town and three or four downtown just off the main drag. You see all kinds of oil company logos on them.

Around the area and especially to the west there are oil/gas wells that dot the landscape. Occasionally you see a new well going in but I couldn't find any to take a picture of. The town is about 7000 people or so and has one high school. There is a hospital and radio station and a Walmart Supercenter. The downtown is seperate from the main drag and seems to be surviving despite the Walmart. We have a McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Taco Mayo, and several other restaurants germain to this area of the country. Other than Walmart there is one other grocery store. There is a movie theatre downtown and also a theater that hosts plays. They have a roadeo arena and several parks with baseball/softball fields. The nearest large town is Stillwater, 20 miles west and 10 miles north, and Tulsa is around 50 miles northeast. Oklahoma City is about 70 miles southwest. There is a fairly new water park and they have a community center. There are several churches.

It is cold in the Winter and hot in the Summer and the wind blows all the time. The pics below show the oil tanks in the first picture and next to last.  The flags show how the wind is all the time.  There are a lot of buildings that have murals painted on them.  Downtown Main St.  The 'pipeline crossroads' monument at all entrances to town.  The highschool with a nice lake on the property.  And finally, just south of town is an elk farm and game preserve.  I think they have controlled hunting of the elk.  Not quite like seeing them running free in Colorado. 

Well I had a little break in the day to day drudgery of watching the paint dry. This morning I had a follow up interview with NTV, the local ABC affiliate in Kearney, NE. They had done an interview with me in August as I approached Hastings, NE and when I emailed them that I was done, they wanted to do another one. So, you can go to their website at www.nebraska.tv and click on NTV Lifestyles then scroll down to my name and click on it to see the video. Many thanks to NTV for this continuing opportunity.

There isn't much going on here that concerns my situation. There were three murders in Cushing this morning or late last night and they are looking for the guy that did that. It made the FOX National News this morning. This town is 6000-7000 people or so, so something like this is very rare. Also, last week, my grandson's day care had a threatening call left on their answering machine and they suspended school for three days while the police tried to figure out who did that. Again, pretty unusual for this place. Normally this is a pretty sleepy, laid back, mind your own business town.

We've been blessed with really mild (bordering on nice) weather for about 3 weeks now and I hope Spring is trying to take root. The RV will be ready to take to the RV dealer after today. All I have to do is finish cleaning the inside and getting it up there. If anyone is interested or knows anyone looking for something like what we have, please contact us and we will tell you all about it. Also, I am currently putting thoughts down in book form and would apprecieate it immensly if anyone knows a literary agent or publisher I could pitch the idea to. Again, let me know.

The picture today is of my birthday present. It was from Syndi, Trace, Nic, & Jude. Valda bought me a bottle of Tylenol. Her day is tomorrow, and you know what they say about paybacks.

You have all heard the phrase about getting the cart ahead of the horse. Well, the VA got the cart ahead of the horse in my case and I spent all day yesterday at the VA for absolutely no good reason. I met with the surgeon and a medical student and between their trips out of the room to check my files and then coming back and asking curious questions, it was finally decided that they could not tell me anything until I have my CT Scan which will be on the 23rd of Feb. Like the doc said, they can't talk intelligently about my situation until they see something on an image to talk about. So, I will re-meet withthe surgeon on Feb. 25 and then hopefully, I will know when the surgery will be.

I think what is most aggravating about this is the fact that we specifically told the scheduler about the sequence and they still got it wrong. AND, Valda & I both knew it and did not call it to anyone's attention. So I guess we have to share in the blame.

For those of you who might be interested and have the time to do it, I will have a phone in interview with the ABC affiliate TV station in Kearney, NE on Tuesday, Feb 17th at 9:00 AM. You can go to the website www.nebraska.tv and access their live stream of their morning show and hear the interview. They were the first TV station to interview me during the walk. I hope you tune in.  By the way, the last of my family's four birthdays in four weeks will be on Feb 18...Valda's 62nd.  Be sure to wish her a happy day, she's earned it.

Here are a couple more pictures from last Spring, both taken during my 8th week while I walked through Utah.  Are they cool pics or what.

Tomorrow I turn 61. Frankly, over the last three and a half months, there were times I wasn't sure I'd make it to 61. Now, I'm looking forward to 62. It all is a matter of attitude and also a bit on how one is feeling, and right now I'm feeling pretty good. It is hard to be optomistic when you don't feel good, and I went through several months where I didn't feel good. Now I'm halfway or so through my 'mending' period and am looking toward a surgical procedure to get this tumor out of me. On Wednesday I meet with the surgeon and hopefully will leave there with a surgery date. On Feb. 23rd, I will have a CT Scan and beyond that, I have no idea what will happen or when it will happen. I know the doctors have a plan and I can only hope that the plan is proceeding as desired and that everything is falling in place. I am only along for the ride.

I know there isn't much news in this posting but hopefully there will be on Wednesday. I think that everyday I get through with little discomfort and nothing rearing its ugly head, is a day closer to being well.

Again I am posting some pictures from my walk. I have been looking through them and am totally amazed at how good they are. Valda took most of them as I have previously said and I think she did a bang up job. The top picture shows me walking along US 50/US 6 somewhere in East Nevada. The middle picture was taken in Ely, NV, and the bottom pic was taken on the first week in Utah. If you look real close, you can see me walking way down that road. I wonder what I was thinking as I saw those mountains looming in front of me.