Mary Alice Hammond

Mary Alice (Rowlette) Hammond died February 14, 2026 at her home in Asheboro. She was 87 years old.

Alice was born June 28, 1938, and grew up on a farm in Shelby County, KY. She graduated from Stephens College in Columbia, MO with an Associates in Arts degree in 1958, and from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill with an AB in Journalism in 1960. At Carolina, she wrote for The Daily Tarheel, where she met her husband, Rusty. They were married for 65 years.

Alice served as the Director of Community Relations and the Assistant Administrator for Public Affairs and Planning for Randolph Hospital from 1981-1993. Prior to working at the hospital, she founded and operated her own public relations firm, Imagination, Inc. Her clients included the Stedman Corporation and the City of Asheboro. As such, Alice served as Executive for the Randolph County Bicentennial Committee. She also wrote a regular humor column for The Randolph Guide, “Across the Ironing Board.” The column later ran in The Greensboro Record under the name “Of All Things.”

Alice’s numerous volunteer activities included: Chair of the Board of Trustees at Central United Methodist Church, Board of Ushers at Central and First United Methodist Church, Tarheel Triad Council Girl Scouts Board of Directors, President of the Sorosis Club, President of Randolph Community College Foundation, Asheboro Junior Women’s Club President, Randolph County Democratic Women President, Randolph Rotary Club, Randolph Arts Guild, NC Emergency Medical Services Regional Advisory Council, Piedmont Health Systems Agency Board of Directors, United Appeal of Greater Asheboro Board of Directors, Randolph-Asheboro YMCA Board of Directors, and the Randolph Public Library Foundation. She was the Randolph County Democratic Woman of the Year in 1973.

Alice is survived by her daughters, Nancy Hammond of Hyattsville, MD and Mary “Callie” Hammond of Asheboro; her granddaughters ZiZi Hammond and Isabell Hammond; her nephews Larry Cooper and Jim Cooper; her son-in-law Ken Hawes; her brother- and sister-in-law Robert and Martha (Hammond) Harvey, and her brother-in-law Daniel Cooper. She was preceded in death by her husband L. T. “Rusty” Hammond, Jr., her mother Nancy (Godbey) Rowlette; her father Henry Rowlette; and her brother William Rowlette. A memorial service will be held at First United Methodist Church in Asheboro on March 21 at 11 AM. In lieu of flowers, donations in Alice’s memory may be made to Hospice of Randolph or to any of the charitable, religious, and civic organizations to which she contributed so much of her time and energy.

Pugh Funeral Home is honored to serve the Hammond family.