Edward A Hampe

Ed Hampe, age 78, of Lime Springs, IA passed away on March 19, 2025 surrounded by those he loved.
Edward Arthur Hampe was born on March 17, 1947 to Rene and Mary (Berry) Hampe in St. Clair, MI. He graduated from L'Anse Cruese High School in Mt. Clemens, MI with the Class of 1965. Following graduation, he continued his education attending carpenter's apprenticeship school. In May 1966, he joined the United States Navy as a corpsman; he was later placed with the United States Marine Corps serving in Vietnam.
While serving in the Navy, he met and married Janet VanAmburg. They settled in Wichita, KS, where they raised two sons, and he began his 25 year career with Midwest Drywall. He taught carpenter's apprentice school in Wichita for several years. While employed with Midwest Drywall he was job foreman for various large construction projects in Wichita, KS, Memphis, TN, Kansas City, MO and finishing in Highlands Park, CO.
On May 6, 1995, he married Melania "Lonnie" Sheaffer in Southaven, MS. He and Lonnie moved to Buffalo, WY in 1997, where Ed managed the Johnson County Fairgrounds for 11 years. He also worked a year at the Historical Occidental Hotel updating some of the rooms. He was active in the local VFW where he also enjoyed calling bingo for 12 years.
In 2009, Ed and Lonnie moved to Lime Springs, IA (the weekend after Sweet Corn Days) where Ed was a part-time employee for the city of Lime Springs. He attempted to retire from this job many times, and finally succeeded two years ago.
Ed's favorite past-times were searching for the ideal old vehicle to rebuild, enter it in car shows, sell, and repeat the process many times over. Ed enjoyed pheasant and deer hunting. He loved spending time with family and friends and playing cards in Cresco. He was an active member in his local churches in KS, WY and the Lime Springs United Methodist Church.
Ed is survived by his loving wife Lonnie, of nearly 30 years; his two loving dogs Buffy and Paisley; two sons Jeff (Liz) Hampe of Lancaster, SC and Jonathan of Decorah, IA and a granddaughter, Charlotte Hampe of Lancaster, SC. Ed is also survived by three step-children: Matt (Sara) VanDeCreek of DeSoto, KS, Michelle (Travis) Swift of Benton, KS and Mark VanDeCreek of Wichita, KS; step-grandchildren: Eli, Josh, Ben and Beth of DeSoto, KS and Abby of Benton, KS. Additional survivors include his sister Linda Thompson of Cresco, IA, many nieces and nephews and his mother in-law Bonnie Madsen of Towanda, KS.
He was preceded in death by his parents Rene and Mary Hampe, brother Michael Hampe and step-father Art Madsen.
In lieu of flowers, please consider Howard County Hospice, McPherson College-Automotive Restoration Program or the Wounded Warrior Project.
Memorial services, including military honors will be held at 11:00am on Saturday, March 29, 2025 at the Lime Springs Community Center. A celebration of life will continue immediately following until 2:00pm on Saturday afternoon.