SAGINAW, MI — In a downtown venue she helped champion, Wilmer Jones Ham’s life was celebrated at a funeral ceremony attended by hundreds of community members.
The Friday, Sept. 19, ceremony at The Dow Event Center was the scene of somber reflections and uplifting memories for family, friends and former colleagues of Ham, who was the first woman to serve as Saginaw’s mayor.
Ham, 75, died Monday, Sept. 8, of “a sudden medical emergency” at MyMichigan Medical Center Saginaw, her obituary stated.
The event center’s Red Room opened its doors before noon to about 2,000 people. They arrived to see Ham, who rested in a casket on stage, surrounded by flowers and photos. Gospel music rattled the venue’s walls, a reminder of the decades Ham spent singing at public gatherings, including in The Dow Event Center and churches across Saginaw.
As the ceremony began shortly after noon, dozens of family and friends lined up to pay respects at the casket. The crowd stood and was led in singing uplifting music. At the end of the line were Ham’s three children, who embraced each other near her before moving to seats set aside for them on stage.
As the crowd sat down, a video montage played, showing news clips of Ham during her years in politics as well as home videos of her singing to children. The imagery and vocals inspired laughter, applause and tears among attendees.
The service was led in parts by some of Saginaw’s most recognized religious leaders, including the Rev. Hurley Coleman Jr., pastor at Saginaw’s Greater Coleman Temple Church of God in Christ; the Rev. Larry Camel, bishop at New Birth Missionary Baptist Cathedral; the Rev. Byron Hayes Jr., pastor of Word of Faith International Ministries; and the Rev. Benjamin Smith, of Bethlehem Baptist Church.
“I need you to stand up and give applause for this woman,” Coleman told the crowd. “Lord has a great love for our one-and-only and forever-first-time female mayor. Thank God, thank God for the Honorable Wilmer Jones Ham.”
Many attendees stood for the duration of the service, with others rising when presenters launched into thunderous vocal performances.
The service included tributes from former political allies as well as successors of Ham’s legacy.
“I’m at a loss of words for a change,” Brenda Moore, the current mayor of Saginaw, told the crowd about Ham. “She’s a trailblazer. If it hadn’t been for her setting the path … You never know how good you have it until it’s gone. I remember her saying to me, when I first got elected, ‘Sugar, I just want you to be the best you can be,’ and I hope I’m living up to her expectations.”
State Rep. Amos O’Neal, who served on the Saginaw City Council with Ham in the 2000s, called the former mayor’s legacy one of “greatness.”
“This is a celebration; We stand here in support of our mayor, who sacrificed her life for the city of Saginaw and the state,” said O’Neal, who represents Saginaw in the state House of Representatives. “My time with the mayor was precious. We talked and we supported each other.”
O’Neal then turned to Ham’s children.
“We love your momma,” he said.
Pamela Pugh, president of the Michigan State Board of Education, told the crowd about Ham’s legacy as a mentor and teacher. Ham worked nearly three decades as an educator with Saginaw Public Schools.
“She was a woman who led and loved and lifted up others,” Pugh said. “As an educator, she did more than lead us. She saw potential in everyone. She was also one of my greatest encouragers. I can still hear her voice on my phone. Those simple words carry so much care and belief. Mayor Ham showed us that leadership is love in action.”
Ham is survived by three children: DeRonnie Turner as well as Detoya and Darvin Ham, the retired Detroit Pistons basketball player and member of the Saginaw County Sports Hall of Fame.
The trio addressed attendees at the close of the 120-minute ceremony.
“This is hard; My heart is broken, but I know my mother would say, ‘You’ve got to keep pushing, son,’” said Turner, the eldest son.
His voice at times shaking with grief, Turner told the crowd his mother was dedicated to raising her children.
“I want my mother to know, she did a really good job raising us; I want to tell her, ‘Mom, your shell is here with us, but your soul is upstairs,’” Turner said, his eyes briefly turning upward to symbolize a recognition of heaven. “I love you, Mom. It’s all in your spirit. Goodbye.”
Darvin Ham expressed gratitude to members of the crowd for supporting their family over the years.
“The love and support you’ve bestowed upon us is immaculate,” he said. “She gave us life; taught us to enjoy life.”
Detoya Ham said she built a strong bond with her mother, especially after the death of Howard Ham, Detoya Ham’s father, in 1992.
“I’m heartbroken, but I’m full of peace because I know the type of life she lived,” Detoya Ham said. “Momma made everybody feel good. That woman loved different. There was so much in her that was outstanding. She did so much. Love her or hate her, I doubt Saginaw will see another Wilmer.”
Most of the Red Room was filled with attendees Friday.
Long before her funeral, The Dow Event Center carried some significance to Wilmer Jones Ham’s legacy.
Wilmer Jones Ham was an influential member of the Saginaw City Council when she helped champion a countywide tax millage in May 2001 that helped rescue the facility formerly known as the Saginaw Civic Center from financial struggles.
And Wilmer Jones Ham sang the national anthem there during numerous events, including the first-ever home game for the Saginaw Spirit hockey team in 2002.
Many attendees at Friday’s funeral wore black and gold, commemorating the colors of the former Saginaw High School, where Wilmer Jones Ham proudly graduated in 1968.
Wilmer Jones Ham will be buried at Roselawn Memorial Gardens in Saginaw Township, her obituary stated.
To many, Wilmer Jones Ham was a beloved figure and a trailblazing politician in the community, although legal troubles during her final year on the Saginaw City Council made national headlines and became part of her public legacy.
A teacher for 27 years at Saginaw Public Schools, Wilmer Jones Ham first joined the nine-member Saginaw City Council in 1994 when she was appointed to a vacant seat.
Later winning the vote of residents, the Saginaw native was appointed by the council in 2001 as the first woman to serve as the city’s mayor. She remained in that role until 2005, then served as mayor pro tem during her final two years in office.
She exited the council when her last term ended in November 2007.
Her public legacy included starting the Mayor’s Scholarship Fund in 1992 when Henry H. Nickleberry was mayor.
She coordinated “Unity In Diversity” sessions for improved race relations, with an emphasis on youth involvement, and logged more than 1,700 community events she attended as mayor.
She used the authority of the mayoral post to marry more than 80 couples, and she sang the national anthem at an array of events.
Her son Darvin Ham was a forward on the 2004 Detroit Pistons championship team, a feat which intensified Ham’s fame beyond Saginaw at a time when she was still serving as mayor.
One month after Wilmer Jones Ham left the council, in December 2007, a jury convicted her of insurance fraud but acquitted her of arson after a five-day trial in the burning of her Mercedes-Benz vehicle in March 2006. She was sentenced to two years of probation and 150 hours of community service.
A judge in February 2014 approved the former mayor’s request to have her felony insurance fraud conviction expunged from her record.
Numerous individuals wrote supportive letters on her behalf, including Garber Management Group President Dick Garber and former Saginaw Mayor Gary Loster, Wilmer Jones Ham’s attorney said at the time.
To view Wilmer Jones Ham’s obituary, click here.