Gerald "Woody" Hamele

Gerald J. (Woody) Hamele passed away peacefully in his home with his family on Wednesday, February 21, 2024.

Woody was born on November 13, 1941, in Morristown, MN, and was the middle child of George and Florence Hamele. He was raised in Waterville, MN. There he learned the value of hard work from his parents while reveling with his siblings and friends, enjoying all types of outdoor play Minnesota offered. He was just 15 years old when he took his first paying job at the local Dusbabek’s Grocery Store and Meat Market. While working at the store a spark was lit for the craft of meat cutting.

Following graduation from Waterville High School in 1959, Woody traveled to Toledo, OH to attend the National School of Meat Cutting. Certification in hand he landed his first job with the Nash Finch Company and moved to Fargo, ND to pursue his profession as a Meat Cutter.
After six months in Fargo, Woody was ready to push forward in his career and made a life-changing move to Minot, ND. His goal there was to learn to manage a meat department, what he found was his destiny. It was in Minot that Woody met his future wife, Colette. They were married on April 11, 1964, at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Karlsruhe, ND. Their first child, Paula, would join the family late that year. After Paula’s arrival, a transfer led the newly married couple to the Cut Low Discount Grocery Store in Jamestown, ND. The family remained in Jamestown until 1965 and there they welcomed their second child, Troy. Following Troy’s birth, the family packed up and moved back to Minnesota where Woody got a job with Applebaums. They built their first house in Apple Valley, MN, and welcomed child number 3, Kevin.

In 1971 Woody realized a dream, purchasing the Waterford Meat Market. For 8 years Woody and Colette processed meat for local farmers and hunters, establishing a reputation for quality and exceptional service. They built a home outside of Northfield and celebrated the arrival of their fourth child, Chad, in 1976.

Woody and Colette sold the Waterford Meat Market in 1979. Woody kept busy for 4 years venturing into other small businesses and spending extra time with family, enjoying time on local lakes, and supporting his Minnesota Vikings. He often spoke of games in Metropolitan Stadium
and the glory days of watching Fran Tarkenton and the boys, while laughing about boating adventures with the kids, cousins, and friends.

In 1983 Woody decided to go back to what he knew best, meat. The next move took them south (less snow, early spring, late fall - he loved it) to buy a meat processing plant called the Murray Locker in Murray, NE. Their home would be in Plattsmouth, NE for 7 years. His family and friends still reminisce about Big Red Jerky and other tales from his time at the locker.

In 1991 the family was ready for another change of pace and purchased into the Little Ceaser's Pizza Franchise. This move took them to Papillion NE where they built another new home to be close to the four local stores the family owned and managed. Six weeks of school in Detroit, MI would teach them all about pizza. This was a challenging business that the family would make successful for the next five years. After selling his share of the franchise, Woody had to decide what to do next. He loved the independence of being his own boss and he decided the role of an over-the-road truck driver would be a fitting occupation. He went to school and obtained his CDL so he could take his workdays on the road. He loved to travel and found it was a great way to see the country. He was proud of his adventures and during his 12 years trucking, he visited every state except for Alaska, Hawaii, and Vermont. He also crossed into Canada with loads. Weather conditions made this a very challenging job at times but gave him some exciting stories to share about his journeys. He loved to tell the tales of how he made it to his destination and home safely each time. Another favorite opportunity he took advantage of was visiting with family as his load took him near Paula and Troy’s homes.

His favorite stops were overnight stays or dinners he got to spend visiting with grandkids and catching up on stories from school and sporting events. Woody loved trucking, however, health reasons brought him to retirement in 2009. The working man jumped right into his freedom again. He enjoyed his weekly activities of golfing with the guys and standing lunch dates at Ameristar and Pizza Ranch with Colette and friends. He also reignited his love of gardening and cherished spending more time with family. His garden was his motivation to get outside and consisted mostly of radishes (proudly 2 crops a year), cucumbers, and tomatoes. The harvest was plentiful, and he loved to share with the neighbors. Fall would bring a crop of turnips which he learned to grow from his neighbor, and great friend, Randy.

Another hobby Woody loved was his puzzles. He started small with 2000 pieces, moved to 5000, 8000, 9000, 12,000, 18,000, and his last one of 24,000 was halfway done at his passing. He considered the last one a 3-year project. It was a production from the start. Measuring, cutting board pieces, buying more tables, securing the table. He enjoyed it all! The finished puzzles would be modge podged, framed, and put on the basement walls. They became a “must-see” for friends and family visiting their Papillion home. Woody, as you can see, was always up for a challenge. This remained true to the end as he made all his own decisions and faced what was to come with no regrets. As he said, "I lived a good life."

Woody was so proud of his family and loved to attend events or hear about the accomplishments of his children and grandchildren. One of his favorite things to do was to check in with his children to hear about all of their weekend activities and events. He loved seeing photographs and videos of things he was not able to personally attend and was the proudest Grandpa in the seats for those he could.

Woody is survived by his wife Colette of 59 years, daughter Paula (Alan) Rutherford; sons Troy (Janet), Kevin (Danna), and Chad (Heather); grandchildren David (Josie) Rutherford, Sarah (Jamin) Malz, Dakota, Dayton (Caleb) Gibbons, Dawson, Brooke, and Megyn; great-grandchildren Easton, Ramsey, and Mason; brother Fran (Verna); brother-in-law Jim (Eileen); sisters-in-law Alice Gustafson, Betty Kraft, Geri Kraft, and Della Kraft; many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents, George and Florence Hamele; sister Sandra Henaman; brother-in-law Phil Henaman; and nephew Scott Henaman.

To view a LIVE STREAM of the service, please click the 'Open Video' button below and you will be redirected