Thomas Eugene Hamm

Thomas (Tom) Hamm passed away on January 8, 2024, in Frisco, Texas. A life-long resident of Linglestown and Paxtonia, PA., he moved to Texas to be closer to his family in May of 2023. He is survived by his brother Dennis Hamm (wife Elaine), two nieces, Joanne Scott (husband Jeff) and Susan Harvey (husband Matt) and his great niece, Alice Harvey, and great nephew, Jackson Scott, along with numerous cousins. He was preceded in death by his father Ralph W Hamm, his mother Dorothy L (Snoke) Hamm and his infant brother Ralph Hamm, Jr.

He was a graduate of Central Dauphin High School and Shippensburg University, where he majored in Marketing.

In addition to his family, he had a dedicated group in his extended family that provided years of care and friendship. His circle of friends and associates beyond that was immense, including musicians, photography associates, his work friends, his car friends, his neighbors, and long-time friends. He could strike up a conversation with anyone, anytime.

Most of his life, he was a self-proclaimed “music mercenary” who loved to play and would take on a music assignment just to play drums. He traveled far and wide, traveling from Hershey Park to the Montreaux Jazz Festival and many places in between. In addition to his travel breadth, he played many styles. But his musical reach went well beyond his performances through the students he taught. He has former students performing professionally and as well as recording. He had a special love for young students just starting out and would give them a foundation for music AND for life. Many of those “young” students are now adults and lifelong friends.

Tom was a beloved colleague and friend to many at United Concordia Dental, where he worked for 22 years. He spent his years as a loyal employee, first in Customer Service and finished his career in Dental Electronic Services. He was known as a “Gentle Jokester” who would put a smile on everyone’s face. So many cherished memories of great times at the workplace with Tom.

At a young age, Tom developed deep interests in photography and cars. He nearly always had his camera nearby and has thousands upon thousands of photos of cars, bands, models, kids, and dogs. (He knew every dog by name in his neighborhood and they all knew him.)

He melded those two interests together around the time of his retirements when he attended SCCA and Track Night in America events and captured the action and sold pictures as supplemental income. Those drivers accepted him in their circle like a brother. They love his pictures, and they love him.

He was a master of race car trivia and music trivia, not to mention being able to recite the entire dialog from his favorite movies. (Nyuck! Nyuck! Nyuck!) His sense of humor and his attitude were with him every day, even up to the very end. For sure, he lived life the way he wanted to live. A celebration of his life will be held in the Central Pennsylvania area at some yet-to-be-determined date.

His diagnosis of ALS was devastating to him and to all who knew him. ALS is a terrible disease. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in his memory to the ALS Organization (www.als.org) or Team Gleason (www.teamgleason.org), an organization that assists ALS patients with technology, equipment, and services to enrich their lives.

It’s time to celebrate… celebrate the life of Tom Hamm.

We will be gathering on Saturday, March 9th from 2:00 and 4:00 pm at the AACA Museum, 161 Museum Drive, Hershey, Pennsylvania.

As you might expect, it won’t be formal. Suggested attire, besides jeans or other informal slacks, will be your favorite t-shirt, whether it be a car shirt, a race shirt, or your favorite band or musician shirt. Rocky, Bullwinkle, Alf, or the Three Stooges are also welcome. You get the point.

Of course, we are looking for your input. I would ask any attendee with a great Tom story to be prepared to share it with the entire group. In case you cannot attend, please document your Tom story and send it to me at [email protected] and I will share it with the group. I will be amazed if anyone has just one Tom story.

This is intended to be light and fun, the only way Tom would want it. I hope you can attend. Light refreshments and beverages will be available.