Martha Armentrout Hammer, 79, of Harrisonburg, Virginia, passed away peacefully on Thursday, May 8, 2025, at Rockingham Memorial Hospital.

Born on May 6, 1946, in Charlottesville, Virginia, Martha was the daughter of the late Langley David Armentrout and Mildred Earl Glover Armentrout. She graduated from Albemarle High School in 1964 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Madison College (now James Madison University) in 1969, followed by a Master's degree in Education from the same institution in 1976.

Martha devoted her life to teaching and enriching the lives of children. She began her career in education in Culpeper County, teaching for two years before continuing in Rockingham County Public Schools. Over her 34-year tenure as an elementary and middle school teacher, she touched the lives of countless students and families with her kindness, dedication, and gentle spirit. She retired from teaching in 2004.

She was a longtime member of Asbury United Methodist Church in Harrisonburg, where she found joy in fellowship and faith. Martha was also active in her community through her involvement in the Woman's Club and Junior Woman's Club of Harrisonburg.

On June 15, 1971, she married James David Hammer of Elkton, Virginia, at the University of Virginia Chapel in Charlottesville. Together they shared over five decades of love, laughter, and a deep commitment to family. In addition to her husband, James, Martha is survived by her son, David Matthew Hammer and his wife, Gabrielle of Huntersville, North Carolina; and four beloved granddaughters, Madeleine Blair Hammer, Lillian Brooks Hammer, Ella Hensley Hammer, and Martha Claire Hammer, all of Huntersville, NC. She is also survived by her sister, Kathryn Armentrout Daily and husband John of Durham, North Carolina.

Martha will be remembered for her warmth, compassion, steadfast faith, and the many lives she enriched through her teaching and community service. Her legacy continues in the family she treasured and the students she inspired.

A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m., Friday, May 16, 2025, at Kyger Funeral Home Harrisonburg. Prior to the service, the family will receive friends from 12 to 1 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Martha's memory to the American Diabetes Association (diabetes.org) or the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation (komen.org).

Submitted by Sam Clarke.