Jean L. Hamel

1932-2018

Waterville – Jean Louise Hamel, 85, of Waterville passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on February 9, 2018 at Inland Hospital in Waterville. She was born in Waterville on September 6, 1932, a twin daughter of Odelie (Proulx) and Joseph St. Peter. Jean grew up in the Franco-American south end of Waterville, attended local schools along with her twin sister, June and five other siblings. She went on to work at McClellan’s Department Store before marrying the love of her life, George Hamel on May 3, 1952 and together they had three children.

For Jean and George their children were the center of their life and Jean was a stay at home Mom. Once all the children were in high school, Jean took a job as manager of the Waterville Bowling Lanes on the Airport Road for 10 years. For those who knew Jean, this was a perfect fit because of her love of bowling. She was City Champion for Candlepin Bowling and was inducted into the Maine State Candlepin Hall of Fame.

In her “spare” time Jean enjoyed watercolor painting, ceramics, knitting and crocheting. Jean also liked playing the slots in later years and there was no greater Red Sox fan than Jean, who would stay up late at night when they played on the west coast. But most it all, her family was everything to her and was her life force. She was known to have a heart of gold, making the home special to everyone and when need be, choosing family first. She did all of this in a way that was unpretentious and reflected her interior elegance.

Jean is survived by her three children: Michael and his wife Deborah; William and his wife Susan; Karen Paradis and her husband Peter; her seven grandchildren: Michael and Dana; Adam and Angie; Joshua; Brooks and Kelly; Sarah and Ben; Christopher; Nicholas; her five great-grandchildren: Evan; Brock; Zak; Liam; Hadlee; as well as a large extended family. She was predeceased by her husband in 2011 and her 2 brothers and 4 sisters.

Visiting hours will be on Wednesday, February 14, 2018 from 4 – 6 p.m. at Veilleux Funeral Home, 8 Elm Street, Waterville. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, February 15 at 10:00 a.m. at Notre Dame Catholic Church, 112 Silver Street, Waterville with burial in St. Francis Catholic Cemetery, 78 Grove Street, Waterville in the spring. Please visit www.veilleuxfuneralhome.com to view a video collage of Jean’s life and to share condolences, memories and tributes with her family.

For those who wish, please consider making a donation in Jean’s memory to: Secretariat of the Shrine, 9797 St. Anne Blvd., Sainte-Anne de Beaupre, QC G0A 3C0 Canada

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Words of remembrance by Josh Hamel, Jean's grandson, at her funeral:

When I was young, there are some great memories many of us share of Memere and I hanging out at the bowling alley. And to this day, I’m still pretty addicted to grilled English muffins thanks to the way she made them for breakfast whenever we stayed the night. We liked looking through the random movies she’d tape on TV and of course talking Red Sox. Even up to a couple weeks ago, we drove up to Bangor and just had an incredible day enjoying lunch and her favorite Hee-Haw slot machine. I don’t know many people who can say that they genuinely had a ‘fun’ time with their Memere... every time... but that’s why I consider myself lucky to have had her in my life. We shared fun times, we shared laughter; memories and love. And I think everyone in this room knows what I mean when I say that I feel truly blessed to have been a part of her life. We’ll miss you, Memere.