Shirley M. (Hamel) Wyman, 95, West Yarmouth, MA passed in comfort on October 24th 2023.
She was born in Haverhill MA in 1928 to late Herbert C Hamel and Hazel (Foisey) Hamel, the 2nd of 6 children. Shirley attended local schools and Haverhill High School going onto Chandler Secretarial School in Boston.
Shirley met the love of her life, Harold while they were in grade school. Since he went to the trade school, and she to Haverhill High, they met again four years later just before graduation. Their first date was on her birthday, June 12th. After dating for two years, they married in August, 1949 in Connecticut. Excited to start their new lives together, there was an interruption as Harold was called to serve in Korea for 18 months and she returned to Haverhill. Upon his return, they welcomed a daughter in 1955. In total they were together 76 years, married for 74.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by her daughter, Patricia Daley and her husband Stanley Ferro, her younger sisters Arlene Hamel in Tallahassee, FL and Barbara Roche in Natick, MA; sister-in-law Adele Hamel in Vero Beach, FL, her many nieces and nephews on both Hamel and Wyman families and Hamel cousins.
Shirley and Harold moved often every 2 or 4 years for his work and lived in many places-sometimes twice -in New Hampshire, Maryland, Vermont, Maine, Arizona, Tennessee, Florida and finally back to Massachusetts in 2017 to Cape Cod to be near her daughter.
She was expert at her position as executive secretary, starting with the family business, L.H. Hamel Leather Co. in Haverhill, Castleton State College, Sanders Associates, Maine Cement and retiring early from Martin Marietta Cement. Her career was important to her, and carried her talents over into being a founding director of the League of Maine Craftsmen in Portland ME.
Her activities were varied; braiding rugs, gardening, Maine photography and making sterling jewelry for sale at craft fairs with Harold. They both learned how to work with stained glass from Pat and made lamps for their home. Her latest enjoyment was selling her paintings on the village green as a member of the Monday Painters in Dennis. She could always be found with a smile on her face, especially when little kids would find her painted rocks at Grey’s Beach in Yarmouth Port. Shirley also enjoyed traveling each summer for month long vacations from Canada to Mexico, out west to the national parks, flying down to Rio de Janeiro or driving up to Alaska.
We couldn’t have asked for a better wife, mother, sister and friend, and will miss Shirley every day. Her memory will live on in the hearts of all those who loved her.
A funeral mass will be celebrated at a later date, details to be announced soon to family and friends.
Please send on-line condolences to Casper Funeral Home at [email protected]