Kenneth Warren Hamel
was born December 28, 1957 in Lancaster, Wisconsin, the first child
of his parents, Warren and Anneliese Hamel. Kenneth’s childhood
was spent in Wisconsin where he had his elementary and secondary
education. Kenneth was always an excellent student and showed a great
love of mathematics and computer science. He spent a large portion of
his youthful savings on an “assemble yourself” computer.
Much of his time was spent
on the small Hamel farm in the country just outside of Watertown,
Wisconsin. Here Kenneth helped take care of the animals, garden, and
yard—where he played with his two brothers, two sisters, cousins, neighbors,
and friends.
Kenneth attended Laurelbrook
Academy his sophomore year in high school. This was his
first introduction to the self-supporting work in the Seventh-day Adventist
Church and his love for this work only grew as he became
older. He would later attend and work at Weimar Institute and Uchee Pines.
After high school, Kenneth
joined the United States Air Force where he graduated from his training
in computer engineering. His parents were informed that he had
completed his testing with the highest score ever achieved to date.
Kenneth used the scholarship
from the Air Force to attend the University of Wisconsin,
River Falls where he continued his training in the growing field of
computer and information sciences.
It was during this time that
Kenneth challenged his sister Maureen to read a beautifully
bound-in-red set of the Conflict of the Ages series. He motivated
her by saying if she did read them he would give her the set. His plan
worked and Maureen read the books every morning as she was going through the
last years of elementary school. Everyone should have a big
brother like Kenneth!
After finishing his studies
at University of Wisconsin, River Falls, Kenneth programmed for a
variety of computer software companies and was delighted to put aside
enough money to launch into the work he loved the most—developing
computer software for the Bible and the writings of Ellen G. White.
In 1991, Kenneth, who loved
his Lord and His Word, was prompted by necessity to create a
Macintosh software version of the Bible. Being a Macintosh programmer he
embarked on what became a long-term commitment to create quality
Bible software.
"I was a Bible student and a
Mac user," he once said, "but I couldn't find anything that was
usable for serious Bible study on the Macintosh. The only programs
available that I felt were functional and offered the resources I
needed were PC based. As it turns out, I wasn't the only Mac user
looking for such a program." Ken developed Online Bible for Mac. Its
distribution is based firmly on the principle of grace not greed
which, as in all areas of his life, was Kenneth's philosophy of
service. Along with many others who have worked on this project, he
did so with a desire to make God's Word readily available to
computer users in a form that will enhance their Bible study.
Probably the one thing that
most amazes those who know him personally, is the tremendous effort he
has gone through during the last two years to develop the newest
Universal application of Online Bible for Mac, considering the debilitating
health problems and pain he was suffering. Now, just as the
work is virtually complete, he has been able to pass the torch to a
team who are blessed with the privilege of carrying on his vision and
ministry.
It was about 15 years ago
that Kenneth first visited the White Estate’s Branch Office at
Andrews University, to lobby for and offer his services to help produce
a Macintosh version of Ellen G. White’s Writings. Being a skilled
programmer, Kenneth offered to do for the Writings of Ellen White what
he had done for Online Bible, pioneering the development of an Apple
Macintosh application.
From that time onward,
Kenneth, with his programming expertise and Macintosh savvy, became an
incredibly valued partner of the White Estate. Between 1995 and
2005, Kenneth’s dedicated help as consultant, programmer, beta tester, and
problem solver, was critical to the White Estate’s successful
production and support of three successive revisions of a Mac version
of the CD. For all of his indispensable work, Kenneth never asked
for any recompense. He did it all as a labor of love—Kenneth’s
free-will offering to his God, his church, and his fellow Macintosh users.
Kenneth moved to Beersheba
Springs, Tennessee, in 1997 where he made many friends in the
community and in the church. He enjoyed many walks in the wooded
mountains and many bicycle rides on the country roads. Still, most of
his time remained committed to the Online Bible and Ellen White reference
media.
In 2003, handheld PDAs had
become very popular among many users. Kenneth owned a Pocket PC
and wanted to be able to take to church or Bible studies, all the
writings of Ellen White on a handheld device. He had a dream to be able to
read, search, highlight, make personal notes or bookmarks in these
writings, anywhere he traveled without been tethered to his
computer. He contacted Laridian, a handheld Bible Software company, and forged
new relationships with them. This enabled the White Estate to embrace
yet another innovative form of distributing the writings of
Ellen G. White on Palm and Pocket PC devices. Kenneth spent the
next two years of his life developing the Ellen G. White Writings PDA
eBook Collection for release at the 2005 General Conference session.
When this was completed,
Kenneth then embarked on tagging all of Ellen G. White’s published
writings, Manuscript Releases, Biographies, and Noah Webster’s 1828 American
Dictionary. Many challenges lay ahead with creating this software,
but every challenge was met with Kenneth’s masterful
expertise. Nothing ever made him stumble or give up. Each day was a new
challenge that had to be mastered. His positive attitude, kindness of
spirit, and tenacity allowed Kenneth to accomplish more in a short
period of time than a team of people could accomplish in a year. Such
was his dedication and skill. Kenneth developed for the White
Estate three successive upgrades to the PDA eBook collection. His gift
and legacy to the White Estate will live on. Countless numbers of
users have benefited from Kenneth’s software development. We will never
know until we join together in the kingdom of God, how many friends
Kenneth has brought closer to Christ through his lifetime of dedicated
service to the spreading of the Gospel electronically. Kenneth was
a software evangelist pioneer. Kenneth was ever so thankful and humbled
that God saw fit to use his talent in developing software to
spread the Word of God through Online Bible and his work with the White
Estate producing both Macintosh and PDA versions of Ellen White’s
writings.
Kenneth friendship always
extended way beyond, indeed above, his generous and competent
technical help. When you met him it didn’t take long before his primary
motivating force became apparent—Kenneth’s love for God, His Word, and
the special light entrusted to the remnant church through the Gift of
Prophecy. All who knew him personally came to a deeper, closer,
stronger walk with God. Kenneth’s commitment to working for his Lord and His
church has left a software legacy for many to enjoy for years to
come. Kenneth’s faith-filled, conscientious life of devotion, obedience,
study, challenged us all. His service and dedication impressed,
inspired, and brought those he interacted with to a closer relationship
with their God.
Kenneth began to have pain
about two years ago and sought numerous medical consultations. He
learned just weeks ago that he had lung cancer that had metastasized
throughout his body, including his spine—the cause of his high
intensity of pain.
Kenneth will be remembered
as a loving brother and son, a caring friend, a dedicated
Christian, a servant of God, a scholar of the Bible and the writings of
Ellen G. White. “And I heard the voice from heaven saying, ‘Write,
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the
Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; for their works
follow with them.’” Revelation 14:13
Kenneth’s family and friends
look forward to the soon fulfillment of the promise that “Jesus will
come to save His children and to give them the finishing touch of
immortality. ‘This corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and
this mortal shall have put on immortality.’ The graves will be opened,
and the dead will come forth victorious, crying, ‘O death, where is
thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?’ Our loved ones who sleep in
Jesus will come forth clothed with immortality.
“And as
the redeemed shall ascend to heaven, the gates of the city of God will swing back,
and those who have kept the truth will enter in. A voice, richer
than any music that ever fell on mortal ear, will be heard saying, ‘Come,
ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world.’ Then the righteous will receive their
reward. Their lives will run parallel with the life of Jehovah.
They will cast their crowns at the Redeemer's feet, touch the
golden harps, and fill all heaven with rich music.”—Ellen G. White,
Signs, April 15, 1889.
Kenneth is survived by his
father and mother, Warren and Anneliese Hamel, of Harrah, Oklahoma;
his brother, Ben Hamel and spouse, of Potasky, Michigan; his
sister, Christine Thomas and spouse, of Sacramento, California; his
sister, Maureen Craig and spouse, of Carmichael, California; his
brother Greg Hamel and spouse, of San Francisco, California; two
nieces, two nephews, and two great nephews.
Memorial contributions can
be made on behalf of Ken Hamel to the following institutions he
has named as recipients of his estate:
a.
Ellen G. White Estate, Connecting with Jesus Project; 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver
Spring MD 20904 Online contributions:
http://www.connectingwithjesus.org
b.
Laymen Ministries, 414 Zapada Rd., St. Maries, ID 83861 Online contributions:
http://www.lmn.org
c.
Maranatha Volunteers International, 1600 Sacramento Inn Way, Suite 116, Sacramento, CA
95815 Online contributions:
http://www.maranatha.org
d.
Uchee Pines Institute, 30 Uchee Pines Road, Seale, Alabama 36875-5702 Online contributions:
http://www.ucheepines.org
