Bernd Hammerle Obituary (1962 - 2024)

Ben Hammerle rode life like his first motorcycle, and left on his own terms, quietly at home on September 24, 2024. Never a man to mince words, Ben had a passion for all things mechanical including cars, motorcycles, and any small engine. He bought his very first motorcycle at the age of 9 and continued to absorb every smell, sound and surface of every vehicle for the rest of his life. The youngest son of Margaret and Norbert Hammerle, Ben was born on December 27, 1962 in Bountiful Utah. He graduated Davis High School in 1981, where he was a standout soccer forward. He read car magazines instead of books, and, instead of homework, he worked on cars at his father's shop after school. A gearhead since birth, Ben purchased and worked on his beloved 1967 Firebird and cruised, well, raced on Washington Blvd many Friday nights as a teen. This passion for vehicles continued throughout Ben's life. He was a successful car salesman at Bountiful Mazda, and a certified Honda technician. Ben worked in several service manager positions before working at NFH and Fritz' Automation in Layton. In 2000 he opened his own shop, Import Auto Works in Ogden. For the next decade he thrived on tuning high-performance cars and made many weekend runs to RMR, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Firebird in Boise. He taught many young men, sharing his knowledge and passion for cars. With Ben's gift for buying, selling and trading "cool cars," he owned many, much to his wife's chagrin. When not working on cars, he loved cooking and making home improvements. Whenever his wife left town, he surprised her return with new projects, from new floors to flower boxes. A straight shooter with colorful vocabulary, Ben used strong mental toughness throughout life. If you didn't want a straight answer, you didn't ask the question. His determination was tested when he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Ben promised his wife then that they would live, laugh and love as long as possible. He kept that promise. They spent precious time on Sourdough Wilderness Ranch where they shared laughs and beer with a great community of friends. The Ranch extended his life for three summers when he was hoping for one. While he was pissed at his cancer, he thanked God every day for the extra time he had because he loved life. Ben was preceded in death by his parents, siblings Brandon, Fritz, Linda, and niece Nichole. He is survived by his best friend and wife, Kathy, his children Brian(Melissa) Hammerle and Jamie Hammerle, his stepchildren David (Rose) Clark, Austin Clark, Kyla (Brandon)Bishop and his grandchildren, Caden, Kingsten, Cohen, Boston, Austin, Liz, Arianna, Kingston, Kai and Sadie. A special thanks to Dr. Hessenauer and the staff at McKay Dee cancer center. Also, thanks to the IHC Hospice and Amber, the perfect match to his wit, stubbornness and humor during his final ride on planet earth. Join us for a celebration of life at Roosters in Layton on Monday, October 14, 2024. Drop-in to share hugs and food with the family between 2pm to 3pm. Stories, memories, and a toast to Ben from 3pm-3:30pm. In lieu of flowers, please donate for children fighting cancer at Primary Children's Hospital or St. Jude's. A private interment will be held coordinated through Myers Mortuary of Ogden.