Thelbert Ezzell Hamm's Obituary
Thelbert Ezzell Hamm - 77 years
First born to James Arthur and Bonnie Jean Hamm from Childersburg, AL on February 8, 1948. Dad passed away on December 19, 2025 unexpectedly of Cardiopulmonary arrest. He chose to be cremated so there will be a private ceremony on January 3rd at his residence in Ohatchee, AL.
Dad graduated from Childersburg High School, then briefly went to University of Alabama on a baseball scholarship. But, as he put it, he “was asked to leave”. He said “I didn’t know I had to study!” He was having too much fun!! Dad was drafted in 1968 and served with the 101st Airborne during the Vietnam War. He never talked about his time there. He spent 10 years in the Army and was honorably discharged as a SSG.
Dad moved his family to Louisiana to work for TEST Systems where he calibrated offshore equipment for a brief time. Then, from there his career began….. working on offshore oil rigs for companies like CONOCO, Chevron and Total. He then moved his family to Poplarville, MS. Over the years he moved several other times- Gretna, LA, Pass Christian, MS and Brookhaven, MS. He continued working offshore as Operations Manager until his retirement in 2009.
During retirement he enjoyed hunting and playing golf in MS. In 2017, dad moved to Ohatchee, AL to be closer to his family. He spent his remaining days enjoying time riding around the farm on his golf cart and tractor.
He was preceded in death by his father, James Arthur Hamm, his mother, Bonnie Jean Hamm and his brothers, Philip Hamm and Daniel Hamm.
He is survived by his brother Steve Hamm. His children; Regina Carol Compton (Timothy), Ricky Terrell Hamm (Shannon), Nikki Michele Hamm. His grandchildren; Jessica Machen, Brett Sherbert (Ashlyn), Morgan Sherbert, Rachel Leonard, Allison Higginbotham (Jonathan), Anna Kelly (Sam) Great grandchildren; Troy Machen, Adelyn Sherbert, Ellisyn Sherbert, Maverick Sherbert and Lily Mae Higginbotham.
The Letter to Dad…
"Where do we start? How do we wrap up a lifetime of wonderful memories in a few paragraphs.
We don’t have to say how much you were loved- you know that!
We don’t have to say what a wonderful awesome dad you are- you know that!
We do have to say you will be missed more than you will ever know!
We will miss your grins, your raised eyebrows and forehead that would tell everything you were thinking about at the time. Yes, some were funny thoughts!
You are a man with no jealousy, no judgement and lots of patience. How you had all that patience is beyond us.
You taught us so many life lessons. You never judged us - you may not have liked our choices but never judged. The choices we made were our own and we had to take responsibility for those. But you were always there to listen and comfort when we needed it. You were always there to offer advice if we asked.
You are definitely a fixer upper kind of guy! We always knew if anyone can fix a plumbing, electrical, car problem and etc… it would be DAD! It may not always look pretty but hey it worked.
We know that you are doing all your favorite things- golfing, hunting, bowling, and playing pool (no betting). You have no knee pain now, so you run dad- run!
We want you to know that your “babies” will always know you loved us, you told us all the time. We are going to miss coming into your front door hearing “HEY BABE” and when you answer the phone or leave messages. “HEY BABY” to you dad!!
There is so much to say, we can go on and on with so many stories to tell. We want the world to know what a great man you are.
We know you will always be with us guiding us. This is not goodbye -we will see you again."
Love your,
Gina, Ric and Nik
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