Obituary of Rebekah Jo Hammer

Immediately following a precious time of fellowship, singing and praying at home, Rebekah Jo Hammer, of Tujunga, CA, was called to her heavenly home into the arms of her loving Savior on Saturday, February 26, 2022. Rebekah was born in Pittsburgh, PA, in 1977. She graduated from Asbury College with a degree in English Education and a near-minor in music with her trumpet, while also meeting Ryan Hammer to whom she was lovingly married for 24 and a half years. She is survived also by her children Elise Ayame, Sophia Rose and Richard Thomas; her three older sisters Shelly Exline, Jenny Annoni and Rachel Goldenstein; her parents Jack and Janice Fink; and four nieces and thirteen nephews. Rebekah, although incredibly shy from birth, learned with the help of her Lord Jesus, to reach out to everyone around her and to be a friend and confidant to many. While in high school she went on two mission trips and, although vertically challenged, she was a starter on her high school basketball team. Ryan and Rebekah were married after their junior year at Asbury. After graduation, they worked in Kentucky for two years before moving with all their worldly goods across the country to California, where Ryan pursued his calling to work in the film industry and Rebekah began teaching English as a second language and later working in college placement for international students. Rebekah ran the LA marathon and completed it in spite of a stress fracture in her foot, exemplifying her persistence and dedication. Her steadfastness and ferocity in prayer were evident in her life and unchanged even through her marathon battle with pancreatic cancer. As their family grew, her educational background naturally led her to homeschool their children. Rebekah was active in Fairhaven Christian Academy, her home-school co-op, and eventually took over the leadership role for several years. She and Ryan also started a Trail Life troop and ran the local American Heritage Girls troop in their community. Church was a critical part of Rebekah’s life. She loved attending Montrose Church where her three children were baptized and each in turn contributed in the church’s annual Christmas plays. Her passion and love for Jesus shone through even more during her difficult battle with cancer as she regularly asked nurses and doctors how she could pray for them. She will be sadly missed here on this earth but has been welcomed with joy through the gates of Heaven where she is free and is praising and worshiping her Father and Savior in person.