of St. Joseph’s Hospice after a prolonged illness on Friday, July 16, 2021. A Memorial Service,
followed by a catered reception, will be held at 1:00 PM on Saturday, July 24, 2021 at Hill Crest
Memorial Funeral Home and Park in Haughton, LA.
Mr. Hamel was born May 14, 1939 in Miami, FL to the late Virgil Vern Hamel and Madeline
Schulz Hamel McCandless. On July 6, 1957 Mr. Hamel married the former Miss Peggy Jo
Chandler, embarking on an adventure together lasting over sixty-four years.
Mr. Hamel served his beloved United States Air Force with distinction for twenty-five years
from August 1956 to October 1981, including a tour of duty in Vietnam from 1969 to 1971.
Upon his retirement from the Air Force, Mr. Hamel worked for American Airlines and then
United Airlines, assisting in the development of the A380 Airbus. Upon what he called his
“retirement retirement,” Mr. Hamel could be found tending to his garden, watching his favorite
westerns, and holding court with his adoring children, grandchildren and great grandchildren on
the back patio.
Mr. Hamel is survived by the love of his life, his wife Peggy; his children, William Christopher
Carter-Hamel and Brigitte Carter-Hamel of Oklahoma City, OK, John Kendall Hamel and Susan
Knotts of Ringo, LA, Stephen Craig Hamel and Leslie Breedlove of Ponca City, OK, and Lori
Hamel Piersall and Robert Piersall of Haughton, LA. Mr. Hamel is also survived by thirteen
grandchildren and twenty-two great grandchildren as well as eight nieces and nephews on the
West Coast and two nephews and one niece on the East Coast. Let it be known that Mr. Hamel
loved and was loved widely and deeply by all his family.
Preceding Mr. Hamel in death were his parents, his son, Darien Keith Hamel; and two of his
grandsons, Shawn Michael Hamel and Craig James (“CJ”) Hamel. Also preceding Mr. Hamel in
death are his siblings, Hazel and John Prine, Pat and “Smitty” Smith, Priscilla Delosh, and Virgil
Vern (“Sonny”) Hamel, Jr.
Mr. Hamel’s legacy is clear and unmistakable. He loved his country with great passion and gave
devoted service to it. Throughout his eighty-two years, Mr. Hamel exemplified the virtue of
service to others and encouraged his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren to seek out
ways to serve causes beyond themselves.
