Lt. Johnnie H. Hammons was born August 24‚ 1959‚ to the late JoAnn and Erman Hammons. He was preceded in death by one brother‚ Robert Hammons‚ and is survived by three brothers: Gary and wife Debbie‚ Larry‚ and Ronnie Hammons; and one sister‚ Carla (Hammons) Bailey and husband Charles. He has several nieces and nephews who he dearly loved.
He was a resident of Nicholas County and graduated from Richwood High School. He was a retired sawmill worker and was a member of Civil Air Patrol‚ where he fought wildland fires in Montana.
He joined the Craigsville-Bever-Cottle Volunteer Fire Department in January 1998 and became a certified firefighter in September 1998. He completed I.C.S. in March 1999 and was Firefighter of the Year in 1999 and 2000. In April 2002 he became I.S.O. and he attained the rank of first lieutenant in 2005. June of 2008 he became Fire Officer 1 certified (Delmar).
He loved to ride ATVs‚ hunt‚ fish‚ and spend time with family and friends. When he wasn’t contributing his time to help the community and assisting neighbors‚ local businesses‚ and organizations‚ he always cut firewood for his mom and anyone else who needed it. He was always there when someone needed help no matter what time of day or night.
The C-B-C Fire Department held a pizza party the Christmas of 1999 for underprivileged children of the community. A father brought his four children to see Santa and to celebrate Christmas‚ as this was the only way the children would have Christmas. Johnnie had noticed the man carrying two of the children and the other two walking behind. They had no shoes on their feet and only wore long-sleeved shirts for jackets. Johnnie‚ without saying a word‚ quickly exited the building. When he returned‚ he had several packages wrapped with names of the children on each one. He handed them to Santa. One by one‚ the gifts were given‚ and when opened‚ each child had a new pair of shoes and a warm winter coat to wear home. His generosity will always be remembered‚ and he will be sadly missed by all.
Johnnie was a dedicated firefighter and a very good friend to many in the community. I had the honor of fighting fire with him and had many laughs over the years. “Johnnie on the spot” was one of the most dependable folks that I’ve ever known and was always willing to lend a hand anytime and anywhere. He will never be forgotten .
– Mark Riffle