Mary E. Hamel's Obituary
Mary Elizabeth Hamel, (Nyhan), 92, was born on June 28, 1932 to the late Katherine and Frederick Nyhan.
Mary was born in Lawrence and was a graduate of St. Mary’s High School in Lawrence, MA in 1949. She married Arthur Hamel on August 25, 1956. Mary made her home in Methuen and attended Saint Monica‘s Parish for over 60 years as a daily communicant and volunteer in many different positions over the years. She was a Cub Scout Den Mother, Brownie leader, and long-time member of the St. Monica’s Sodality of Our Lady. She began her career at the New England Telephone Company in Lawrence, MA and left to raise her family. Later, she worked at Merrimack College as a financial aid administrator until retiring in 1995. Mary was a devoted daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Over the years she helped as a parent volunteer in scouting. She spent summers with her husband and family at the North Essex Council Boy Scout camp, Camp Onway, NH, supporting Arthur first as Waterfront Director and then as Camp Director. She loved to cook; nothing made her happier than putting on a good meal for a growing family. She was also an avid seamstress and spent many hours at the Singer sewing machine fashioning and mending clothing, flags and other crafts. She was an avid reader and beachgoer, whether along the quieter lakeshore and oceanfront spots in Maine and New Hampshire, or later, with lifelong friends in Naples Florida. She especially cherished time spent with family, friends, and neighbors - all of whom will miss her dearly.
Mary was the beloved wife of the late Arthur Hamel. Together they raised seven children: Michael Hamel and his wife Mary of Winchester, NH; the late Mary Elizabeth; Kathleen Courtois and her husband Michael of Salem, NH; William Hamel and his wife Donnie of Presque Isle, ME; John Hamel and his wife Catherine of Methuen, MA; Jerome Hamel and his wife Tatyana of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL; and Paul Hamel and his wife Jennifer of San Rafael, CA. She was the cherished grandmother of 15 grandchildren: Matthew, Mary Elizabeth, Patrick, Kathleen, Elizabeth, Gregory, Christopher, Thomas, Andrew, Jane, Mary, Anne, Thomas, Katherine, and Anne. She was the great grandmother to 8. She was the sister of the late Frederick Nyhan. She is predeceased by her daughter-in-law, Virginia (Mayo) Hamel.
Visitation for relatives and friends will be held in the Kenneth H. Pollard Funeral Home, 233 Lawrence St., Methuen on Friday, March 14, 2025 from 4-7pm and Saturday March 15, 2025 from 10:30am-12pm. A Mass of Christian burial will be held in St. Monica’s Church Methuen, Saturday, March 15 at 1 p.m. Interment, St. Mary Immaculate Conception Cemetery.
The family would like to extend its heartfelt thanks to the care team at Mary Immaculate Nursing Home in Lawrence, MA. They greatly eased her transition and are each a credit to their profession.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society.
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