Ralph O. Hammerstrom (Age 85) Ralph was born December 16, 1921 in Fairbault, MN and passed away on April 1, 2007 in Spokane. He is survived by daughters Sharon Rulli of St. Paul, MN, Sandy (Jeff) Davis of Kennewick, WA, Jo (Paul) Freitag of Seattle and Jean (Marty) Hill of Spokane; son Tom (Deborah) Hammerstrom of Spokane; brother Don (Marj) Hammerstrom of Arlington Heights, IL; sister Elaine LaVigne of Orlando, FL; 10 grandchildren Mark, Chris, Scott, Shelley, Shane, Eric, Katrina, Alissa, Tim and Victoria; and eight great-grandchildren Antonio, Dominic, Shayla, Savanna, Siena, Cheyenne, Dakota, and Sierra. He was preceded in death by his sweet loving wife Rose V. Hammerstrom, parents Oscar and Emily Hammerstrom, one sister Audrey and two grandsons Troy and Todd. Ralph served during World War II as a co-pilot of a B-17 bomber. He was shot down over Poland in April 1944 and spent 13 months as a prisoner of war. After captivity, he returned to his wife and infant daughter, Sharon. Following the war he was employed by Northern Pacific Railway and Burlington Northern Railroad until he retired January 1981. After retirement he enjoyed an open door policy for cocktails. He loved baseball, top sirloin medium rare, late night talks, and spending time with family, especially his grandkids. He had a zest for life and empowered his children to succeed. Ralph taught his children to be happy. Special thanks go to Home Sweet Home - Kerri, Mark, and Misty. Visitation will be Tuesday, April 3, 2007 from 4 to 7 PM at the funeral home. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Wednesday, April 4, 2007 at 2 PM at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 3624 W. Indian Trail Rd. Interment with full military honors will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, 7200 N. Wall. Memorials are suggested to Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery, 1004 E. 8th , Spokane, 99202.