Fannie (Paxton) Hamby, 81, of Westmorland, passed away Thursday June 2, 2022 at Pioneers Memorial Hospital in Brawley.

Fannie was born on November 28, 1940 in Brawley, California to Charlie and Ethel (Box) Paxton. She attended Brawley and Westmorland elementary schools and Brawley Union High School.

She and her husband, Max Hamby, married within one week after her high school graduation in 1959. The couple lived in Long Beach and Chula Vista, California, one year each, before giving birth to their first son, Mark, with the fog so thick on the drive to the doctor that Max had to drive Fannie with the driver's door open to follow the line painted on the road.

She raised three children - Mark, Stephen, and Sharlet - in Westmorland before the family and honeybee business moved to Polson, Montana in 1966. Local bears that rummaged through Max's honey-filled bee boxes found new purpose as pie crust lard, taco meat, and other culinary delights prepared by Fannie.

With the family returning to Westmorland in 1969, she devoted herself and her care to her children, husband, and church through many labors of love.

Known for her cooking, she would wake her children near daily with fresh baked biscuits and a full breakfast - except on Sundays before church, though a pot roast would be prepared those evenings for supper. When asked about favorite foods prepared by her, family members usually retort that there are too many to choose from - though a few made-from-scratch icons generally emerge: coconut cream pies, pecan pies, kolaches, and pear butter to name just a few.

Home and church life were one and the same in many ways for Fannie. The home she made was a hub for youth of the church as she raised her children, preparing homemade ice cream almost every weekend after the children swam on hot summer afternoons and hosting volleyball games in the backyard after Friday evening church services. She enjoyed helping to put together church potluck dinners in the desert for Thanksgiving and New Years, and enjoying fellowship meetings and church camps. She dedicated much of her time as a teacher and tutor helping with her children's schoolwork and as a Sunday school teacher teaching children scripture. Among her favorites was Romans Chapter 12, a passage she helped children memorize in its entirety, and lived out its instruction in her actions throughout her life.

Fannie was also a gifted seamstress as both a hobby and side profession. Her paid work included seemingly endless fittings for local young women, the tight deadlines for which, combined with her drive for perfection in her work, brought her some stress. She especially enjoyed the craft when done for pleasure with others, including sewing a wedding dress for her daughter Sharlet, serving as a 4-H project leader for sewing and crocheting, and quilting with friends.

Prior to her passing, she enjoyed an active and full life. She and Max enjoyed annual summer trips to Shaver Lake spending time with each other, family, and friends they met over time. She loved gardening at home, particularly tending to a prized flower bed in the front yard and to trees in the back; trees that would yield fruit for pear butter, pickled figs, lemonade, and an occasional apple pie. One of her favorite pastimes was photography, particularly of desert wildflowers, and crafting personalized greeting cards for birthdays and holidays using the photographs she took. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren knew her as "Grammy," whom she loved spending quality time with, cooking and baking for - remarking that she never had a grandmother of her own growing up, and that she wanted her grandchildren to enjoy that loving relationship she never got to experience herself.

Fannie is survived by her husband of 63 years, Max Hamby; sons Mark (Trina) and Stephen (Lori) Hamby, both of Brawley; daughter Sharlet (Earl) Compton of Madera; grandchildren Haley, Nathan, John Brooks, Tyler, Loren, Caleb, Joshua; two great-grandchildren Rusty and Dutton; brother Fred Paxton of San Bernardino; and sisters Inez Mallard of Lakewood, Doris Green of Prescott, Arizona, and Ruby Stover of Georgetown, Texas.

Visitation and viewing will be held Wednesday, June 15th from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm at Frye Chapel in Brawley, followed by funeral service and burial on Thursday June 16th at 9:00 am at Frye Chapel and Riverview Cemetery, followed by lunch and fellowship at the Brawley Assembly of God Church.