Dave Hamel, loving husband and father, moved onto his next adventure on Wednesday, February 2, 2022, at the age of 65. It was fitting that his date of death was unique, because if you look up the word “Unique” in the dictionary, you would find a picture of Dave. He was truly like no other.

Dave was born in Detroit, Michigan, but lived many places during his lifetime. He earned his Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Nevada, Reno, and later his MBA from the University of Wyoming.

After college, Dave started as a Process Engineer/Superintendent with Kerr McGee Chemical Company in Trona, CA, before becoming Technical Manager at General Chemical in Green River, WY, and then later at Rhone Poulenc/OCI. He was Plant Manager at KABO Chemical Inc. in Cheyenne, before returning to his roots in Trona, Ca, as Manager of Technology and Product Development for Searles Valley Chemicals. Although he spent a large part of his career in the Mining and Specialty Chemical industries, Dave’s last eight “work years” were as manager of the Propulsion and Energetic Processing Branch with the Department of Defense in China Lake, CA.

Dave loved many things, but his family, friends, and his dogs topped the list, followed closely by anything with an engine. He was an avid bike rider, an amateur NHRA racer, an accomplished mechanic and a fantastic wood worker. It was rare for any Hamel house not to be in some phase of construction, but luckily, Dave could fix or build just about anything. His idea of a perfect day was to spend several hours prowling through Pick-a-Part, and the rest of the day in his shop tinkering.

Dave had an intense curiosity combined with a love of learning, and had an opinion on just about everything (which he was more than happy to share). Although he sometimes struggled to express his feelings verbally, he was a good man and would do anything for those he cared about. He had several decades old friendships, and for those, he felt truly blessed.

He was preceded in death by his parents, John Hamel and Dorothy Nocita. He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Laurie, his two sons, Derek Hamel, and Dane Scharff, his siblings Jon Hamel and Ruth Rose, his sister and brother-in-law Barbara and Merlin Kendall of Green River, and multiple others who love him.

Dave always said that “tomorrow isn’t guaranteed”, and as much as I hate to admit it, as usual, he was right. So hug your loved ones often and appreciate your time together. I only wish that we had more with him.