Ronald Park Hamner

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Ronald Park Hamner, passed away on December 30, 2021 at the age of 77. Born February 29th, 1944 to Raiford and Ellie Hamner in Tuscaloosa, AL, Ron grew up in Northport and graduated from Tuscaloosa County High School. He went on to graduate from the University of Alabama in 1968, remaining a lifelong fan of the Crimson Tide. After graduation, Ron was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army and upon completion of initial training was sent to the Republic of Vietnam for his first assignment. While there he served with the 11th Light Infantry Brigade, 23rd Infantry Division. He went on to make the Army a career as a logistician and served with distinction in units within the United States, the Republic of Korea, the Federal Republic of Germany, and with the Army General Staff at the Pentagon. After retirement in 1993, Ron continued working for the Army as a contractor. From his lucky leap day birth, Ron Hamner was extraordinary. He was exceptionally kind and quick to offer a helpful insight or a joke, whichever was most appropriate (and probably both). He loved his children and grandchildren and supported their ambitions and their passions, remaining close by when they made mistakes. He loved his country and was committed to serving its best interests above all else. He was a lifelong animal lover, a dedicated community member, a cheerful neighbor, a generous friend, and a perpetual, unshakeable optimist. Lucky until the end, Ron passed surrounded by family and will be missed by countless more. Ron leaves behind his wife of 40 years, Denise Hamner, his daughter Kimberley and son-in-law Gene Massey, his son Ronald Jr. and daughter-in-law Elizabeth Hamner, and his daughter Mary Hamner and son-in-law Matthew Hicks. He is also survived by his brother Reginald and sister-in-law Anne Hamner, and sister Marjorie and brother-in-law James Fleenor, as well as four grandchildren, Katelyn and Ellie Hamner and Mason and Bryson Massey, as well as many nieces and nephews.