James Dalton Hamer

James Dalton Hamer, 95, of Little Rock, passed away on February 2, 2026. Born August 31, 1930 in Dallas, Texas, the son of Daniel Dalton Hamer and Opal Marie Hamer. He was preceded in the afterlife by his wife, Beverly Ann Hamer (neé Field) and his brother, George Raymon Hamer.

He is survived by his daughter, Deborah Dinsmore (Brian) of Little Rock; son, Mark Hamer (Fumiko) of Little Rock; sister, Patsy Vera Cruz of Dallas, Texas; grandchildren: Sarah Baxter (Samuel), Hannah Thomas (Matthew), Rachel Hubert (Julien), and Elika Moore (Justin); and seven great-grandchildren.

Growing up on a farm on the outskirts of Dallas, Texas, Mr. Hamer joined the U.S. Navy and trained to become an electrician in the Seabees. His 22-year Navy career took him all over the world with postings in Port Hueneme; Subic Bay; Adak, Alaska; Trinidad & Tobago; Chichi Jima; Hong Kong; Beeville, Texas; Hutchinson, Kansas; and Maine. His last port of call was Little Rock, Arkansas working at the Naval recruiting center in Little Rock. After retiring as a Chief Petty Officer, he was employed for many years as an electrician at Reynold’s Metals Company in Bauxite, Arkansas. In addition to being a scout master in Troop 30 of the Boy Scouts, he served for several years as Chief of Police in Cammack Village.

He was a father who made sure to attend all of the events his children participated in from powder puff football to school events to soccer games. Most of the boys on his son’s soccer teams will remember Mr. Hamer always taking it upon himself to bring a large orange cooler of water for the games so that the team would always have plenty of water. He was known to have a heart for service. Being a Sunday school teacher and a Boy Scout leader were the primary ways he lived this out.

Mr. Hamer was a voracious reader. The owner of the local bookstore often said that he helped keep them in business by his weekly purchases of hardback bestsellers. On several occasions, he commented that learning to read in elementary school was one of the most significant, profound events in his life since it opened up the world to him to learn all he could.

The best way to sum up how Mr. Hamer lived is that he was a doer who got things done to take care of his family. That was how he showed how much he cared.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 10:30AM on Friday, February 13, 2026, at Smith-Little Rock Funeral Home (8801 Knoedl Court) with burial following at Pinecrest Memorial Park.

Smith Little Rock Funeral Home

8801 Knoedl Ct, Little Rock, AR 72205 501-224-2200

www.SmithFamilyCares.com