In Memory Of
Dr. Mary Hamm
1939
2022
Dr. Mary Hamm
October 18, 1939 — September 11, 2022
Dr. Kathleen Mary (Murphy) Hamm, 82, of Louisville, Kentucky, passed away on Sunday, September 11, 2022. She was one of the first female veterinary surgeons, having unbelievably strong compassion for animals and drive for success.
Kathleen was born on October 18, 1939 in Chicago, Illinois to the late Michael and Elsie (Schultz) Murphy. She is preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Dr. John Alvin Hamm, her two sisters, Marian and Margaret, and her brother, Michael.
Kathleen grew up in poverty, living in tenement housing near Wrigley Field. She was able to watch the Cubs play during Ladies Day when admission was free. Although too young to remember, her father played in Wrigley during World War II in a Fireman's League, and several times hit the ball out of the park onto Sheffield or Waveland Avenues.
Despite the odds of her poverty and being a woman at that time, Kathleen attended the University of Illinois studying pre-med, first at the Chicago campus and then Champaign-Urbana. Her father saw a spark in her and helped pay for her tuition and housing to help her success (legend has it her father paid through his bookie business with other Irish friends).
Kathleen had professors tell her she would never make it as a veterinarian, much less even to gradation, because she was a woman. Those negative comments motivated her even further to succeed on her own terms, a drive in life she never lost. And she met her future husband John in veterinary school. That was the beginning of a partnership that would last until his passing last year. She never recovered from that loss of his love and partnership.
Kathleen graduated at the top of her class from the University of Illinois School of Veterinary Medicine in 1963. This launched her to become one of the first female veterinary surgeons in the country. Kathleen and John founded Green Bay Animal Hospital in Wilmette, Illinois in 1965, a small animal practice. Kathleen practiced as Dr. Murphy to avoid confusion. They loved treating animals, serving their patients and clients with compassion and dignity.
They sold their practice in 1990 and retired to their beloved mountains in Franklin, North Carolina. Kathleen proudly designed their house with her late brother Michael. They continued to focus on their animals while working to establish their property as a Charter Member of the Stewardship Forest.
Kathleen loved her greenhouse and acres of gardens in which she could become lost in thought and content. And she never tired of rescuing a cat or dog, having fondness for Alaskan Malamutes and grey and orange cats. She had particular love for her three generations of grey cats, each named Zeke, whom she swore were reincarnations of one another and each lived over 16 years.
Kathleen is survived by her loving son, John Patrick Hamm, his wife Stephanie, two grandchildren, Cat and Mike Hamm, and her sister Patricia.
A graveside service will be held at 1:00 at Cave Hill Cemetery (701 Baxter Avenue Louisville, KY 40204).
The family requests that contributions in Kathleen's memory be made to Friends of Metro Animal Services, from which she and John adopted their last Malamute. https://www.fomaslou.org/
To leave a special message for the family, please use the "Share Memories" portion below.
Kathleen was born on October 18, 1939 in Chicago, Illinois to the late Michael and Elsie (Schultz) Murphy. She is preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Dr. John Alvin Hamm, her two sisters, Marian and Margaret, and her brother, Michael.
Kathleen grew up in poverty, living in tenement housing near Wrigley Field. She was able to watch the Cubs play during Ladies Day when admission was free. Although too young to remember, her father played in Wrigley during World War II in a Fireman's League, and several times hit the ball out of the park onto Sheffield or Waveland Avenues.
Despite the odds of her poverty and being a woman at that time, Kathleen attended the University of Illinois studying pre-med, first at the Chicago campus and then Champaign-Urbana. Her father saw a spark in her and helped pay for her tuition and housing to help her success (legend has it her father paid through his bookie business with other Irish friends).
Kathleen had professors tell her she would never make it as a veterinarian, much less even to gradation, because she was a woman. Those negative comments motivated her even further to succeed on her own terms, a drive in life she never lost. And she met her future husband John in veterinary school. That was the beginning of a partnership that would last until his passing last year. She never recovered from that loss of his love and partnership.
Kathleen graduated at the top of her class from the University of Illinois School of Veterinary Medicine in 1963. This launched her to become one of the first female veterinary surgeons in the country. Kathleen and John founded Green Bay Animal Hospital in Wilmette, Illinois in 1965, a small animal practice. Kathleen practiced as Dr. Murphy to avoid confusion. They loved treating animals, serving their patients and clients with compassion and dignity.
They sold their practice in 1990 and retired to their beloved mountains in Franklin, North Carolina. Kathleen proudly designed their house with her late brother Michael. They continued to focus on their animals while working to establish their property as a Charter Member of the Stewardship Forest.
Kathleen loved her greenhouse and acres of gardens in which she could become lost in thought and content. And she never tired of rescuing a cat or dog, having fondness for Alaskan Malamutes and grey and orange cats. She had particular love for her three generations of grey cats, each named Zeke, whom she swore were reincarnations of one another and each lived over 16 years.
Kathleen is survived by her loving son, John Patrick Hamm, his wife Stephanie, two grandchildren, Cat and Mike Hamm, and her sister Patricia.
A graveside service will be held at 1:00 at Cave Hill Cemetery (701 Baxter Avenue Louisville, KY 40204).
The family requests that contributions in Kathleen's memory be made to Friends of Metro Animal Services, from which she and John adopted their last Malamute. https://www.fomaslou.org/
To leave a special message for the family, please use the "Share Memories" portion below.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Dr. Mary Hamm, please visit our flower store.
Service Schedule
Past Services
Graveside Service
Friday, September 16, 2022
Starts at 1:00 pm (Eastern time)
Louisville
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