Sheryl Hammitt

     Sheryl Kae (Fairbanks) Hammitt was born in Waterloo, Iowa, on May 21, 1950, to Dale and Wanda (Postel) Fairbanks of Evansdale, Iowa. Sheryl attended grade school in Evansdale and later attended high school in Waterloo before moving to Reinbeck with her family. In 1968, she graduated from Reinbeck High School and married Merne Hammitt of Woodbine, Iowa, that same year. The couple had three children over the next three years: Candice Kae Hammitt (Des Moines), Antony Merne Hammitt (Round Rock, TX) and Kristina Marie Hammitt VerSteegt (Ames).

     During her lifetime, Sheryl had many occupations including real estate agent, insurance agent, and retail clerk; she retired from Home Depot in 2017. Nonetheless, Sheryl was probably best known and remembered as a Country-Western singer with Donny Ramsey and his Country Playboys as they played music throughout Southern Iowa in the 1980s and early 1990s. Her regular audience often commented that her “Crazy” was better than Patsy Cline’s. Sheryl also excelled at line drawing, creating nearly photo-realistic depictions of nature and of the home she shared with her family in Osceola. She is also remembered for her incredible cooking—all of which she perfected after marrying into the Hammitt family—including her delectable roast beef and hand-mashed potatoes that could rival any restaurant.

     Though Merne and Sheryl divorced in 1981, the two shared custody of their children and remained friends throughout Sheryl’s lifetime.

     Sheryl passed away at the Madrid Home Community Center on March 5, 2026. Her remains were cremated and will be inurned in Harris Grove Cemetery in rural Logan, Iowa on May 21, 2026.

     Sheryl is preceded in death by her parents and grandparents. She is survived by her brother, Gary; as well as her children (above); and grandchildren, Brandon Robert (Candice), Ivory Margaret and Alethea Kae (Tony), and Jacob Bradley and Lincoln Samuel (Kris). Sheryl is also survived by Travis VerSteegt, Juli Henderson and many other friends and relatives who were special to her.