Meet your neighbor: Anna Hammock

Philanna (Anna) Hammock has worn many hats throughout her career. She has worked at the Chesapeake factory in Marion, Iowa, at Hardee’s, in both Mt. Pleasant and Washington’s Walmart. Her jobs included factory line leader, putting displays in boxes and on pallets, customer service manager, stocking shelves, ordering products, and accounting.

Anna recalled one of her most memorable moments.

“I had a customer go into labor while I was ringing up her groceries when I was working at the Mt. Pleasant Walmart. She said, ‘keep going’ as she was in no rush to get to the hospital.”

Anna was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Lazetta Millard. She is number three of six siblings. They are Philip, Fred, Randi, Riki and Effie. Fred is her only sibling that lives in Winfield.

Growing up in Cedar Rapids, she attended both Franklin and Harding schools. She lived in both Anamosa and Wyoming, Iowa, before moving to Winfield in 2001. At that time Anna was experiencing health problems and needed extra help. Currently, Anna lives in the home once owed and occupied by the Bert Erikson family who owned and operated “Ekickson’s Variety” for many years.

She met her husband, Steve, in 1999, while working at Chesapeake, “I was his boss,” Anna said. They were married in 2002 by Rev. Carr, who was pastor of the Winfield Open Bible Church. “We were married in the living room of our home on Olive Street here in Winfield.”

Anna has three children from her first marriage. Molly Messer of Winfield, Ciera who lives in Anamosa and Dalton of Monticello. She has one granddaughter, eight-year-old Addilynn, who is the daughter of Ciera.

Anna likes living in a small town, “I feel safer, you know everyone, and you also have more family than you realize. You don’t have to be too proud to ask for help.”

She attends the Open Bible church and volunteers at the food pantry.

The cons of living in a small town are having to drive to get groceries or go to work.

When asked what is on her bucket list, she replied, “I would love to ride in a hot air balloon.”

Anna enjoys reading Christian books, the Bible, doing jigsaw puzzles, scrapbooking and watching football, especially her favorites team, the San Francisco 49’ers, and Alabama’s Crimson Tide. Perhaps her love of the Crimson Tide stemmed from her visit to Alabama in 1999 for what Anna described as a “mini vacation.“ Her travels also include Florida.

“I haven’t traveled much,” Anna admitted.

Her pet peeve is “laziness.” Her advice for youth: “Find a good church, follow God’s word. Love one another.”

“Take schooling more seriously than I did,” she advised.

If she could change one thing, it would be to have more love in the world and less evil.

Thank you for sharing your story with us, Anna.

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