Jim Hammond

James Bernard Hammond, age 80, died February 26, 2026.

James Hammond lived a life rich in faith, family, and friends. A man who embodied the principles of his faith, Jim treasured his family and welcomed every opportunity to learn, teach, and care for others. He always said medicine was there to serve those in need, and he was often a voice that raised it with others, inspiring many to accept this call. A devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, practitioner, educator, and friend, Jim will long be remembered by those he so dearly loved and served.

Jerry and Kathleen Hammond were blessed as they welcomed their son Jim to their family on December 13, 1945, in Flint, Michigan.

In time, the Hammond family moved to Coopersville, Michigan, where Jim attended local schools, played baseball, and bicycled. He had a good group of friends who would ride around together. While his mother was a nurse, Jim's father, who served in the United States Air Force, set his sights on becoming a businessman. Along with his older sister Nancy, Jim shared their parent’s Catholic faith.

Jim attended seminary, during his teens and early twenties, Jim held summer jobs on farms, in manufacturing plants, at an inner-city Community Action Center, and at an inner-city neighborhood children's activity center. While earning his Bachelor's degree in philosophy from St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Jim's faith led him to become vocal about how we treat each other and marginalized populations. He was very proud of his commitment to Catholic Social Teachings based on his time working as an orderly, and as a hospital-trained respiratory care technician. All of these experiences, coupled with his commitment to his faith, led him to pursue a future firmly rooted in caring for the sick and poor. With his heart focused on his love of medicine and a desire to serve those in need, Jim pursued training as a Physician Assistant (PA), earning his Bachelor's degree from Western Michigan University (WMU) in 1975.

Jim met his future wife, Jean in Saginaw, Michigan. On their first date, they went bowling, and Jim learned quickly that Jean would always be the better bowler. Jean was a nurse, and the couple bonded over their shared faith and healthcare careers.

In 1971, Jim and Jean were married. During their 54-year marriage, Jim and Jean shared an equal partnership, from the stress and joy of raising their young family, to the comforts of aging in one another's companionship. Jean had the common sense. They had great role models in their parents' long marriages and in the deep connections with their families.

Their first children, twins Mark and Paul, were born In Saginaw shortly before Jim started PA school, their family grew to include their third son, John. Jim and Jean worked opposite shifts so one of them could always be with the kids. Jean worked the nightshift and Jim worked during the day.

In 1975, Jim secured a full-time position as a PA at the Daniel Boone Clinic in Whitesburg, KY, serving in a very rural and economically depressed community. While working in Kentucky, his favorite part was doing the “newborn checks”. The first thing he would do was sit with the newborns and rock them in the morning; he savored that time.

In 1978, the family returned to Portage, Michigan, and Jim joined the faculty of WMU’s PA program, which afforded him the opportunity to earn his Master's degree. While at WMU, Jim also served part-time as the Interim Manager of PA Services at Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan. As a faculty member, Jim continued to practice part-time clinically in various settings, including the Family Health Center in Kalamazoo, the Veterans Administration Hospital in Battle Creek, and Otsego Family Physician PC.

Over his 35-year career as a PA-educator at WMU and as the founding program director at James Madison University (JMU) in Harrisonburg, VA, Jim taught many clinical courses, authored several textbook chapters, and led workshops on preparing for program accreditation, program development, grant writing, precepting, and teaching PAs in community settings. He inspired and supported students in pursuing rotations in underprivileged communities and served as a team member on accreditation site visits to PA programs across the country. Jim also volunteered his time and skills on several national boards, all of which were committed to promoting and maintaining excellence in PA educational programs and practices.

When his kids were young, Jim coached their soccer teams and enjoyed camping and traveling with his family. He loved learning, history, traveling through the United States and Canada, camping in national parks, and learning about the world. Taking after his own father, Jerry, Jim loved to tell stories. He was also active in St. Catherine of Siena’s parish.

Jim relished spending time outdoors with family playing catch and baseball, going for walks, sitting in the woods, and taking pictures of birds and landscapes. He was very invested in his kids' education, making furniture for them when he got his woodworking shop up and running, and patiently helping his boys with their geometry homework every night. There were always prayers around the dinner table.

Jim and Jean returned to Michigan in 2021 after having lived in Virginia since 1997. They were happy to be back in Michigan and enjoyed being closer to family. Jim loved his grandchildren Elaine and Keegan and cherished attending their important events and sharing their hopes and dreams.

James led a rich, full, and blessed life. He wanted to thank those who made that so, including his family and friends, especially his parents, Jerry and Kathleen, his sister, Nancy (Don) Fritz, and their children, Brad and Kelly; His wife Jean, who was the best person in his life, and their sons Mark (Lea), Paul, John (Kelsey Beine), and his grand children Elaine and Keegan. His wife's family: parents, Clarence and Anna Henige; her 13 siblings Mary (Fred) Memmer, Charlie (Patty) Henige, Lou (Sue), Henige Joe (Doris) Henige, Ruth (Dan) Winchester, Florence (Mike) Markiewicz, Andy (Jane) Henige, Fred (Bev) Henige, Francis, Henige Peter Henige, Arlene (Jay) Wallace, Margaret Kelly, Marilyn (John Kemp) Henige, and numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. Jim was preceded in death by his parents Jerry and Kathleen Hammond, and his in-laws Clarence and Anna Henige.

He thanks the clinicians and faculty who taught him, the patients he served, the faculty and staff he served with at the physician assistant programs at WMU and JMU over a span of 35 years, and the staff at two national PA organizations.

He greatly enjoyed spending time with family. He also enjoyed traveling, photographing nature – birds, butterflies, and flowers, hiking, birdwatching, and woodworking.

An inspiration to all who were blessed to know him, may we find much comfort in carrying Jim's legacy of faith, hope, love, and service forward.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to and/or volunteer some time at a local food pantry or homeless shelter. Send anecdotes about your time with Jim to his family, care of the funeral home.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Catherine of Siena, (1150 W Centre Ave, Portage, MI 49024) on April 10th at 11am with visitation starting at 10am. There will be a luncheon for family and friends immediately after Mass at St. Catherine’s. Burial will take place at the City of Portage – South Cemetery later that afternoon after the luncheon.