Remembering Ken Hamel

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

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