WILMINGTON — Robert Leodore Hamel, 92, of Wilmington, NC, passed away Saturday, June 17, 2023, after a brief illness. Born March 30, 1931, to the late Leodore Joseph and Della LaBombard Hamel, Bob was born and raised in Lebanon, NH. He was the devoted husband of the late Julia Marie Smith Hamel for 59 years.
Bob was a graduate of Lebanon High School. After attending Dartmouth University, he graduated from Norwich Military University of Vermont with a bachelors in education. Thereafter, he served in the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, and later in the 16th Special Forces. While stationed at Fort Bragg, he met Julia on a blind date, married soon thereafter, and the New Englander became a Southerner. Bob raised his family in Wilmington, living in the same house over 60 years. After his military service, he was a Social Security Administration field representative for over 30 years, a career which allowed him to be home with his family for dinner every night. He set a good example for his children and grandchildren, as a gentleman with morals and integrity, and provided a stable, loving home for his family.
Bob was a long-time member of Winter Park Presbyterian Church, raising his family in the church. His health allowed him to live independently until two weeks before his passing. He had quite a sense of humor, and used his artistic abilities to draw cartoons, which were sometimes accompanied by his comical poems. Bob enjoyed leather-crafting, woodworking, and UNC Tarheel basketball. He was fond of music, especially bluegrass, and could play a mean boogie woogie on the piano.
Family was important to Bob. He was an excellent father to four children, Ann Hamel Roth of Wilmington; Martha L. Hamel (Kirk Gruber) of Pawleys Island, SC; Marc L. Hamel (Erin) of Raleigh; and Sarah Hamel Watkins (Rutherfoord) of Roanoke, VA. He is also survived by six grandchildren, Marie Roth Gephart; Aaron and Wesley Gruber; Andrew Hamel; James and Caroline Watkins; five step-grandchildren, Lynn Gruber Fortune; Bradley Gruber; Alex, Victoria, and Elizabeth Trifaro; and six great-grandchildren. Bob is also survived by his niece, Carol Benton, with whom he was close, and friends including Risa Johnson and Teresa Ennis. In addition to his parents and wife, he was predeceased by his sister, Lorraine Hamel Parker.
A memorial service will be held at Winter Park Presbyterian Church on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, at 1 p.m., with visitation following in the church fellowship hall. Memorials in Bob’s honor may be made to Winter Park Presbyterian Church, 4501 Wrightsville Avenue, Wilmington, NC 28403, or Lower Cape Fear Hospice, 1414 Physicians Drive, Wilmington, NC 28401.
