Angela (Rusek) Hammond

Angela (Rusek) Hammond was born on July 23, 1957 in Beaumont, Texas. She was preceded in death by her parents Georgia and Walter Rusek, and she leaves to cherish her memory brother Pete Rusek (wife Robbye), & brother Walter Rusek, Jr. (wife Dawn), many nieces and nephews, a host of beloved friends, hundreds of former students, and her well-loved chocolate labs Marlene and Ella.

Angie (as she preferred to be called) graduated in 1979 from Texas A&M with a degree in zoology and was proud to be an Aggie!

She worked in a chemical lab supply company in Dallas before she felt called to become a teacher. That calling led her to become certified in secondary science, special education, and English as a Second Language.

Angie spent seventeen years teaching high school chemistry, biology, food science, environmental science, and most recently computer classes at the University of Texas Charter School on the Methodist Children’s Home campus in Waco. Many of her students can testify that they would not have graduated from high school without the encouragement and support of Ms. Hammond. She supported her students in extracurricular activities too.  She could be seen at football games, both near and far, with her face painted and swinging a Bulldog victory towel. Equally important to her were UIL, basketball, volleyball, cheerleading, choir, and band, to name a few! What people may not know is that Ms. Hammond also hemmed pants, replaced zippers, repaired ripped jackets, and even made homecoming mums for her students.  As well, she helped some of “her kids” post high school. She wrote letters of recommendation, helped with tuition, and even bought books.

In addition to serving her students, she earned Master Teacher credentials and mentored many, many teachers. There really wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do to help other educators.

Though her work kept her very busy, she also enjoyed several hobbies. She built flowerbeds and gardened. She loved estate sales and “junkin” with friends. She loved to golf.  She was a very accomplished seamstress—creating beautiful quilts for baby gifts, graduation gifts, and memorials. A quilt from Angie will always be a treasured possession.  In addition to sewing, Angie loved fishing. She and her nephew Walter took many summer vacations on the coast fishing. She also took fishing trips with her friends. And though she caught many fish, she never really liked eating her catch!

Angie was a loyal and loving friend. She listened and was always willing to lend a hand for projects like installing window treatments, pet sitting, repairing sprinkler systems, hanging blinds, and teaching friends to sew. She truly was the word friend personified.

Angie passed away at noon on June 3, 2021, in Waco, Texas. That day, the world lost a real treasure.  A celebration of Angie’s life will take place at 8 pm on Wednesday, June 9 at Grace Gardens in Waco, Texas.  Visitation, also at Grace Gardens, precedes the service from 6-8 pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations in Angie’s name to Methodist Children’s Home in Waco, TX. Donations can be made at MCH.org or by mailing to 1111 Herring Avenue, Waco TX 76708.

Registry for Angela Hammond