From Sister Rebecca Hammel's Facebook page.
My brother, Andy Hammel, died in the early hours of Sunday morning (12/15). I am grateful I spent all of Saturday with him. I am also deeply grateful for two close family friends, Carla and Asia, who were also with us, comforting Andy. We listened to music and exchanged stories and memories.
One of my brother's most passionate interests was music and recorded comedy, accumulating a large and eclectic collection of CDs, records, and tapes. He shared that passion with listeners of Fairfax County's public access radio station, WEBR. For 15 years, he hosted a weekly, one-hour radio show, each episode organized around a theme, playing stand-up comedy, musical oddities, satire, and parodies. It worked because he had an intelligent but very atypical view of the world.
I also want to thank Mark Vosburgh, a friend of Andy's from Walt Whitman HS, who got their group together. They visited Andy and spent the afternoon with him a few weeks ago. It was wonderful.
Thank you for holding him in your hearts.
To remember him, listen to a small archive of "The Lighter Side" by following the link, password: DrDemento
https://vimeo.com/showcase/11499536?share=copy
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Peter Briefs
I remember Andy from Whitman and I'm sure we had a few classes together. A quiet guy of course but a very nice person. He'll be missed by all that knew him...Benjamin Hayes
It seems that he found a happy niche in life. I am sure he is missed by his family and friends. Thank you for sharing him with us.
Charles Fox
I remember Andrew from elementary school (we called him Andy). He had an amazing skill as a cartoonist,especially for his age. I often wondered if he would end up doing so professionally.
Craig Sundell
What a great eulogy you wrote for Andy. I can't remember when I met him, if he might have gone the Fernwood, Pyle, Whitman track I was on, but I remember him as kind, polite and quiet. I never saw anyone poke fun at him as I think everyone respected Andy for who he was.
May he rest in peace and you be comforted by knowing how many people he he touched during his life.
Carol Brooks
Andy and I went to preschool and elementary school together in Takoma Park. I didn't know him outside of school, but he impressed me in class as a quiet, kind, intelligent boy. When I noticed him in 10th grade at Whitman, I couldn't believe someone from the same "far away" school in Prince George's County was in my high school. I'm not sure if we spoke then, but before our 50th reunion, we exchanged emails and chatted about those years—his memories much sharper than mine. It was nice to share those memories with him.
Here's a relatable excerpt from our exchange, Andy, "I am that boy on the lower left in the short-sleeved shirt buttoned wrong (2nd-grade photo). We moved to Bethesda between fourth and Fifth grade. Mrs Snyder was my third-grade teacher. She was good. And took a certain interest in me. Then I had Mrs. Harrison in fourth. Sometimes, I drive through the old Carole Highlands neighborhood and retrace the several blocks I used to walk from school to our house on 16th place. It always gives me flashback memories of the Kennedy assassination because that’s what we kids were whispering about in class and walking home that day in 1963. Thought it was a joke till mom opened the door and told me the news was true."