Engaged mind keeps centenarian going

What is Rosa Nell Hammer’s secret for longevity?
The longtime Miami Lakes resident celebrated her 100th birthday on Oct. 2.
Hammer wouldn’t credit lifestyle choices for keeping her going for so long and so well.
Instead, her extraordinary lifespan may be all about her mind – stocking it with a lifetime of good memories, challenging it with her 52-year real estate career and nourishing her spirit with friends and faith.
And then there are her orchids, a passion that has taken her to international competitions.
“I’ve had an interesting life,” said Hammer. “I went from poverty to traveling around the world. I’m a very lucky person.”
Hammer has outlived her husband Harvey Hammer and two of their four children; her surviving adult children live out of state.
Hammer grew up in Electric Mills, Miss., one of five children who lived on their parents’ farm.
Though her father lost his job at a mill during the Great Depression, the family grew their own food and were able to survive.
She credits her work ethic to her dad, who told her after their financial struggles, “‘You’ve got to learn to make your own living,’” she said. “He told me to never depend on your husband, friends or anyone else. I have worked all of my life because that stuck with me.”
Hammer moved to Alabama, where she worked as a waitress.
She met her husband while he was stationed at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery. Harvey Hammer fought in World War II and remained in the service. The couple lived in countries in Asia and Europe, as well as in Canada and South Africa.
While in Japan, her husband purchased tickets for former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s speaking tour.
Hammer ended up sitting next to Roosevelt during a reception at the Tokyo Imperial Palace.
“She greeted us, and we drank our tea together,” Hammer said. “It was a wonderful experience.”
Also while in Japan, the couple climbed Mount Fuji. It took them two days to conquer the volcano that is about 12,388 feet high.
“It was the hardest task I’d ever accomplished in my life,” she said about the couple’s adventure. “But it was worth it.”
When Harvey Hammer retired from the military the couple moved back to the United States, first to Hialeah and in 1967, to Miami Lakes.
Hammer worked for The Graham Cos. for 30 years: as a waitress at the Miami Lakes Country Club and for two decades as a real estate agent, selling new residential communities.
Hammer said she sold homes to former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham and his wife, Adele, William A. Graham, William E. Graham, and former Miami Dolphins running back Tony Nathan.
“Another group of satisfied customers,” Hammer said.
“The Graham Companies have been good to me,” she said. “They are such wonderful people.”
When she is out and about, people recognize her from work.
“I makes me feel good to see some I know or sold a house to,” she said. “I enjoy living and working in Miami Lakes.”
Hammer recalled her first sale, in Opa-locka. She went from house-to-house for an entire day. Two weeks later, a homeowner listed his house with her, Hammer said.
“I only made $600 from the sale, six months after I started selling real estate,” she said. “Show me a realtor who still goes door-to-door.”
When her husband became ill with cancer in 1995, she retired from The Graham Cos. to care for him.
After his death four years later, she returned to the business and is currently working for The Keyes Company in Miami Lakes.
Hammer said she will continue to sell real estate, even after her 100th birthday.
“I’m holding on to my real estate license and I am still active in the office,” she said.
Though Hammer uses a walker, she does not let it slow her down.
She is an active member of Miami Lakes Congregational United Church of Christ. And she continues to drive.
Friends check in on her now and then, but she remains very independent.
Hammer is also devoted to her hobby of 50 years, cultivating orchids.
She said she has competed in five international orchid showcases and won a prize in Malaysia in 2002, when she was 83.
“They are so beautiful,” Hammer said of the flowering plants inside her home. “They add life and beauty to my life.”
But Hammer’s dedication to tending her exotic plants can’t compete with her passion for selling real estate, especially when she is helping families buy their first homes.
She gets a special kick out of their expressions when she hands new owners their keys.
“I love to help people find a home,” said Hammer.
“Everybody should have a home to call your own. It’s more satisfaction than renting, and it costs more money. But it’s satisfaction that it’s your home.”
Real estate broker Maria Hadra has worked at The Keyes Company with Hammer for a decade and praised her remarkable memory.
“What amazes me about her is her amazing ability to remember every home she sold,” said Hadra. “She can tell you who she sold the house to and when. She’s awesome and she’s inspiring.”
Keyes colleagues planned to throw a birthday party for Hammer at their Main Street office.
Friend Jeanette Silhan said she marvels at Hammer’s independence.
“She lives by herself, cooks and cleans by herself,” said Silhan, who met Hammer 25 years ago when they were members of the Miami Lakes Investment Club. “She doesn’t need any help. She’s a very special person.”