John William Hammel, 65 years of age and a lifelong Harbor resident, died peacefully on Saturday, April 15, 2017, at Swedish Hospital in Seattle following a brief bout with liver cancer. John was born on July 13, 1951, to Ezra and Irene (Lohr) Hammel in the old Aberdeen Hospital. He went to various grade schools on the Harbor. He attended Hopkins Junior High School where he lettered in two sports and became active in the Aberdeen YMCA. He graduated from Aberdeen High School in 1970. In the summer of 1971 John was hired as one of the first male telephone operators in the Pacific Northwest. He joined the Army in November 1971 and spent 16 months stationed in Europe, mainly in Germany. He spent his free time traveling to exotic places including Vatican City, Paris, Heidelberg, and Nuremberg. He was able to attend the opening day ceremonies of the 1972 Olympics. John was honorably discharged in September 1973. Upon returning home he utilized the GI Bill to obtain an AS degree in carpentry from Grays Harbor College. He worked a variety of jobs but enjoyed carpentry and forestry work the most. In 1984 he married Sherry McCollum. They later divorced in 2001. He was most proud of the home he and his contractor friends built in 1985 in the upper Wishkah Valley. He served as a volunteer firefighter for the Wishkah Valley Fire District 10 from 1985 to 2000. John is survived by two daughters, Jennifer N. Hammel of Aberdeen, and Selena N. Hammel of Tacoma. He is also survived by one granddaughter, Natalie L. Hammel-North of Aberdeen. At his request there will be no service.