By Mary O’KEEFE

“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.” ~ John Wesley (1703-1791)

The community is mourning the loss of one of its most active and loyal members. Harriet Hammons passed away earlier this week. Despite her fight with cancer, she continued to attend small, socially distanced events and was always ready to support local organizations.

Stating that Harriet attended almost every event in the communities of Crescenta Valley and La Cañada is not an exaggeration. And once she started supporting an organization she did not walk away from it. For 34 years she volunteered with Boy Scouts of America. She became a Cub leader in 1986 when her son was in scouting. She and her husband Phil were great supporters of the Verdugo Hills Council and she became a merit badge counselor in 1999, helping countless Scouts earn their merit badges and aiding their journey to the prestigious Eagle Scout Award. Later she worked as the special at-large member of Tongva district, always ready to volunteer and support.

“She was a long time Scout volunteer and I’m sure everybody feels the way I do – we are going to miss Harriet for her dedication to Scouts and to her community,” said Amy Taylor, district director, Tongva District, Verdugo Hills Council Boy Scouts of America.

She was an active member of Kiwanis Club of La Cañada since 2004 when she was immediately recognized for her work and awarded Rookie of the Year in 2005.

Since 1970 Harriet had been a member of La Cañada United Methodist Church serving in many capacities including as past president of the United Methodist Women.

She became a member of and ambassador for the La Cañada Flintridge Chamber of Commerce and Community Association earning Ambassador of the Year. She also served as director of Montrose Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce from 2008 to 2012. She was a strong supporter of the Crescenta Valley Sheriff Station, attending and supporting most of their events.

“Harriet literally gave her all to the whole Crescenta Valley community until she couldn’t. That ‘couldn’t’ was only a few short months ago,” said Lisa Dutton, member of the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Support Group.

But it was her consistency that brought so much comfort to her community. She was always someone who could be depended upon, always putting the needs of others first and she was a constant presence at events.

She was recently announced by the Kiwanis Club of La Cañada as La Cañadan of the Year. And when Harriet was at an event she not only helped out but also made lifelong friends.

“Harriet loved to play bingo. She would play three or four bingo cards at a time, and I don’t recall a bingo night when she didn’t win at least once. Her winning was uncanny,” said her friend Steve Pierce.

The family has not publicly announced any memorial plans.

  Mary Okeefe