Obituary of Henry E. Hamel III

HENRY EDWARD HAMEL, III, 61, passed away August 19, 2024, in Morristown, NJ. 

A wake will be held Thursday, August 29 from 5-8 pm at Preston Funeral Home, 153 South Orange Avenue, South Orange, NJ 07079, and the funeral mass will be on Friday, August 30 at 10 am at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, 217 Prospect Street, South Orange, NJ.  

Born in Forest Hills, NY, Henry lived in many places including Miami, FL; Tokyo, Japan; Hong Kong; and Maplewood, Morristown and South Orange, NJ. He graduated from Hong Kong International School in 1981 and Providence College in 1985. 

Henry adored his sons and was a good and loving father. His other loves were humor, music (especially the Beatles), Hong Kong and the Red Sox. Henry loved to laugh and to make others laugh. He had a quick mind and wit, and his imitations were spot-on. Henry had a good ear for music and played many instruments, including saxophone, guitar, drums, and keyboard in school, work, and friend bands over the years. He spent seven formative years in Hong Kong, from middle school through high school and made some lifelong friendships there. His experiences from Hong Kong had a lasting impact on him and, although he never returned in person, he frequently visited it in his dreams and memories. Henry inherited a life-long passion for the Red Sox from his father and cheered for them through many bad seasons. He was elated when they won their first World Series in 86 years in 2004, (and again in 2007, 2013 and 2018) and memorialized the 2004 championship by painting the “Green Monster” with the final score from game 2 on a wall in his basement. 

Henry had an outgoing personality and competitive nature and worked in sales for many years, earning President’s Club recognition and trips on several occasions. He was also active in civic life, serving as a district leader for the Democratic Party in Maplewood and joining the Community Emergency Response Team in South Orange. 

He is survived by his three sons, Henry IV, Nicholas, and Peter; their mother Karen (Young) Hamel; his mother, Joan (Kiernan) Hamel; his siblings, Lisa Macdonald (Peter); Father James Hamel (Chaplain, Colonel, USAF); Margot Hamel; Cynthia Hamel; and Katherine Albrecht (Glenn); and four nieces and a nephew. He was predeceased by his father, Henry E. Hamel, Jr.  

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Society of St. Vincent de Paul, ℅ Our Lady of Sorrows Church, 217 Prospect Street, South Orange, NJ 07079. Checks should be made out to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.