Suzanne Somers Laid to Rest in Beloved Hiking Boots

Suzanne Somers' husband, Alan Hamel, has shared the sweet reason why the "Three's Company" star was laid to rest in a pair of Timberland boots.

In an interview with People, Hamel, 87, explained that he bought Somers the boots because she "never really had boots designed for hiking on the rocks, so I ordered the Timberland boots." But he added a personal touch to the gift.

"[I] made my gift personal by drawing on them in a few words that represented our life to some degree and made them very personal to Suzanne," explained Hamel.

Somers died on Oct. 15 from breast cancer. Hamel said that while she owned "every Manolo Blahnik ever made," it would "have been predictable but not very personal" to have her "wearing [Manolo Blahniks] for her final trip.”

"Every time she put on the Timberlands, she said, 'I am wearing you, and my boots will keep me safe.' "

Hamel also recalled an "early morning routine" of theirs that Somers needed her signature boots for. The couple lived beside the mountains in both Malibu and Palm Springs and their routine "always included hiking to the top of one of the mountains, where there was a creek and a large flat rock in the middle of the creek."

"By the time we got there, which was about a two-hour hike, the rock had been warmed by the morning sun," said Hamel. "We would have our lunch on the rock and then take a one-hour nap on the rock and then hike back down and go to work."

Somers was in the presence of Hamel, her son Bruce, and other close family members when she died just one day before her 77th birthday.

The family had planned a gathering to celebrate. Some arrived earlier for the occasion while others were en route. However, following her death, Hamel told People that they chose to honor the day differently in light of her death.

"We actually toasted last night," Hamel recalled. "We had, I think, 12 of us here, and all toasted Suzanne. I'm positive we'll do something today. I don't know what it will be, but it will involve a lot of cake, because Suzanne was crazy for cake."

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