Bess was born February 2, 1923 in Camden County, North Carolina. She was the daughter of the late Samuel Nash, Jr. and Lula Russell Nash. She graduated from South Mills High School. Bess met Allan Hammer in 1946. Allan was from Southwestern Minnesota and after a long distance romance, they married in 1949. Bess was always interested in fashion and home decor. She worked in a dress shop for some time. Both Allan and Bess were very active in Hope Lutheran Church in Minneota. She taught Vacation Bible School for several years, was an active member in HLCW (Ladies Aid) serving it as Secretary twice. She was a member of the Ladies Circle, giving lessons and hosting meetings. She was a member of the Nordland Social Club and the News and Art Club.
After Allan's death in 1995, Bess left the Minneota area and went to live near her daughter and her husband and two precious grandchildren who she adored. They lived in Oregon for sometime, and eventually came back to the Midwest residing in Minneapolis/St. Paul. At the time of her death, they resided in Germantown, TN.
Bess died on Thursday, November 22, 2012, at the Methodist Germantown Hospital in Germantown, TN.
She is survived by daughter, Robin Virginia Hammer Young, her husband, Dr. George Young, grandchildren Nikolai Allan Young and Christian George Young, two nieces in North Carolina, Carolyn and Dianne Lamb, and grand-nieces and nephew Valerie Boothe, Van Boothe (wife Christi and their son Zachary), and Gail Rogers (husband Rev. Tim Rogers and daughter Rebekah), numerous cousins on both Bess and Allan's side of the family, and four special in-laws, Ruth & Kermit Hoversten of Austin, Minnesota and Janice and Carl Kingsley of Ocala, FL.
