Sheryl Hammitt

Sheryl Kae Hammitt, born Fairbanks, was born in Waterloo, Iowa, on May 21, 1950, to Dale and Wanda (Postel) Fairbanks of Evansdale. She attended grade school in Evansdale and high school in Waterloo before her family moved to Reinbeck, where she graduated from Reinbeck High School in 1968. That same year she married Merne Hammitt of Woodbine, Iowa. Together they had three children: Candice Kae Hammitt of Des Moines, Antony Merne Hammitt of Round Rock, Texas, and Kristina Marie Hammitt VerSteegt of Ames.

Sheryl worked as a real estate agent, insurance agent, and retail clerk, retiring from Home Depot in 2017. She was best remembered as a gifted Country-Western singer who performed with Donny Ramsey and his Country Playboys throughout southern Iowa in the 1980s and early 1990s. Audiences often remarked that her rendition of “Crazy” surpassed even Patsy Cline’s. Sheryl also possessed a remarkable talent for line drawing, producing nearly photo-realistic images of nature and the family home in Osceola. She was equally known for her exceptional cooking, especially the roast beef and hand-mashed potatoes she perfected after marrying into the Hammitt family.

Although Sheryl and Merne divorced in 1981, they shared custody of their children and remained friends for the rest of her life.

Sheryl passed away on March 5, 2026, at the Madrid Home Community Center. She was preceded in death by her parents and grandparents. She is survived by her brother Gary, her three children, and her grandchildren: Brandon Robert, Ivory Margaret, Alethea Kae, Jacob Bradley, and Lincoln Samuel. She is also survived by Travis VerSteegt, Juli Henderson, and many other dear friends and relatives.