Renate Hamer

Born January 11, 1922

In Austria, she attended grammar school in 1929 and went on to high school. The teachers were Professors in her high school and the subjects included art and various foreign languages. In her Catholic high school, she was taught English.

At the age of sixteen she started working at a sporting goods store. She learned bookkeeping while there which came in handy when she married and did all the household finances.

She lived in Austria when Hitler took over and said that everything changed. The people of Austria for the first time started living under a dictatorship.

In 1944, she met her future husband Gilman, an American soldier.

In 1947, she left her family and came to America to be with Gilman. She stayed at his mother’s home and with his mother. She and Gilman were married on April 23, 1947 in the North Baptist Church in New Bedford.

In 1949, their first child was born. A girl named Erika. In 1951, son Gilman, Jr. was born. A third child, Philip was born in 1953

When the children were older, she became Jr. Choir Director and assistant organist at Smith Mills Church. Later, she became Sr. Choir Director and Organist.

In 2012, Erica planned a surprised 90 year birthday party at the Church Hall. So many members were there. She was so happy and pleased to see all her family and friends.

Her life, even with the tragedies, has been fulfilling with her three children, seven grandchildren, and eight great grandchildren.

She has been a member of Congregational Church of South Dartmouth for over 50 years. After her husband Gilman passed away, the members of the Church and members of Smith Mills Congregational Church were there for her. She received loving kindness from all of them which was very much appreciated.

She has many talents which include: composer, accomplished calligrapher and painter of lovely greeting cards.

At the age of ninety, she wrote her life story, “The Story of a Transplant”,

Click photo to enlarge

Man in plaid shirt and gray vest posing for a portrait against a dark background.
Older woman with glasses smiling, wearing a light blue top, seated near a piano.
Older woman sits smiling in an armchair; text below reads RENATE HAMER AUGUST 3, 2014..
Elderly woman playing keyboard at home with sheet music, labeled RENATE CONCERT 2013..
Yellow house with red roof behind a wooden fence; text reads Renates Home in Austria..
Renate at the gazebo door.
Black-and-white photo of a woman standing by a window, holding leaves in one hand.
A woman sits outdoors with two young girls, one standing and one sitting on her lap.
Young child stands in a garden holding flowers, wearing a short outfit and a hat.
Renate with her father.
Two young girls in white dresses and hats stand side by side, smiling at the camera.
A man and young girl stand together on a brick terrace with a scenic view behind them.
Baby Renate with her mother and stepsisters.
Sepia photo of a seated woman labeled Mama with text RENATES MOTHER below.
Black-and-white portrait of a man in a suit and tie with RENATES PAPA below.
Young girl in a patterned dress sits on a blanket outdoors; text reads RENATE IN 1930.
Two soldiers walk down a busy street in France, 1942, among civilians.
Two young children sit together on a patterned armchair, smiling at the camera.
Bride and groom pose together on their wedding day, both wearing formal attire.
Three young children sit together on a patterned blanket, looking toward the camera.
Young child sits on a patterned chair, smiling while holding a rotary phone to their ear.
A woman sits with two young children on her lap in a living room, all facing the camera.
Two-story house with a shingle exterior, front porch, and a car parked in the driveway.
A brown church with a white steeple stands near a road under a clear sky, circa 1960.
Gilman teaches grandson Philip how to make a knot bracelet.
Man standing indoors, smiling and holding a finished rope becket in front of wall plaques.