Thomas Quentin Hammel, son of Raymond and Betty Buresh Hammel, was born March 4, 1945, in Dickinson, ND. Tom died March 7, 2020, with his family by his side at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines at the age of 75 years.
Tom grew up on Jim Creek Ranch in Dunn Center, ND. Growing up he worked as a ranch hand on several ranches in North Dakota. He graduated from Killdeer High School in Killdeer, ND, with the Class of 1964. In 1966, Tom joined the United State Marine Corps. In 1967, Tom served in Vietnam and was later honorably discharged from the service in 1968.
On April 17, 1968, Tom was united in marriage to Cathy Bosnyak in Killdeer. They were the proud parents of three children: Arden, Bill, and Curt. They made their home in Dunn Center, where Tom worked with his father on the ranch. In 1970, he went to work as a ranch hand until 1980, when he went to work in the oil field. In 1986, Tom and Cathy moved to Iowa, where he drove a truck until his retirement in 2015. In 2004, Tom received the Outstanding Professional Driver Award for Iowa.
Tom loved spending time with his family and friends. He enjoyed working on his antique tractors and going on tractor rides around the state. Tom also loved rodeos. He enjoyed going to rodeos with his family as well as watching them on TV.
Tom was preceded in death by his parents and his son Curt in 1994. He is survived by his wife Cathy Hammel of Jefferson; children Arden (Jon) Schwenker of Maquoketa, Bill (Cec) Hammel of Jefferson, and Jesicah (Phil) Lehman of Cascade; grandchildren Jesse, Wyatt, Dillon, Rhett, Ryan, Ben, Emily, Peyton, and Troy; his brother Terry Hammel of Hot Springs, SD; sisters Anne (Jerry) Schettler of Bismarck, ND, and Kathy (Paul) Ott of Herreid, SD; nieces and nephews; other relatives; and many friends.
A Celebration of Life gathering will be March 14 at Tom and Bill’s shop in Jefferson. Memorials are suggested to the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation.
Slininger-Schroeder Funeral Home of Jefferson assisted the family. Online condolences may be left at www.sliningerschroeder.com.
