Michael John Hamer

Michael John Hamer

GREENVILLE - Mike Hamer died peacefully in his sleep on December 10 with his long-time friend Amy Hazard by his side.

Michael John Hamer was born June 6, 1948 to Aline Fortin and Bill Hamer. He and his sister, Joan Hamer, grew up on their family dairy farm near Newport, Vermont.

Mike graduated from Sacred Heart High School in Newport in 1966. He studied for the brotherhood at Oblates of Mary Immaculate in Essex, NY. He attended Johnson State College and earned a B.A. in English from the University of Vermont in 1973.

He joined the VISTA anti-poverty program, serving first in New Orleans and then Greenville, NC, where he settled in the mid-1970s and became an integral force in the local music scene and volunteer community. He was among the first to become, in 1983, a Witness for Peace in Nicaragua.

After a diving accident that left him a quadriplegic, he completed rehab at Pitt Memorial Hospital. In1986, he joined the English faculty at ECU, where he taught until 2013.

Mike lived for many years on Park Avenue, where his home was the site of frequent celebrations that centered around good food, music and his large cast of friends.

Despite being confined to a wheelchair for 33 years, he remained active as a singer-songwriter-band leader and as a community volunteer in many organizations, including Greenville's Unitarian Universalist Congregation; STARS; FROGGS; ReLeaf; and the Pamlico Tar River Foundation. Friends may remember Mike by contributing to one of these organizations or to the nonprofit of their choosing.

Mike is survived by his sister, Joan, who lives at their Park Avenue home; nephews Bill and Dan Cellucci; niece Colleen Rush; several cousins; and many excellent caregivers, including most recently Patricia Williams.

A celebration of Mike's life will be led by Rev. Bob Clyde on December 15, 7 p.m., at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 401 E. Fourth St., Greenville. Guests should wear hats and brightly colored clothes.

As published in The Daily Reflector