SIMONE ALMA HAMEL (née ALBERT)

Condolences & Memories (5 entries)

• My brother kind of said it all. I would just add an impression that Simone always seemed to be cheerfully smiling, and that I remember her as a very competitive card player. - Posted by: Glenn Bernardin (Fridnd) on: Nov 27, 2022

• My brother kind of said it all. I would just add an impression that Simone always seemed to be cheerfully smiling, and that I remember her as a very competitive card player. - Posted by: Glenn Bernardin (Fridnd) on: Nov 27, 2022

• I am sad to hear Simone has passed away. It is truly the end of an era. When we lived in Fannystelle, Simone and Martin were my mom and dad's best friends. They played cards together (Barouche, I think). They were such good friends that Simone used to come to our place to milk our cow. (Although mom was raised on a farm, being the youngest, she had been sheltered from farm duties.) And Martin was the one who took dad to the hospital when his index finger was severed by the chain of his thresher. Hamel's store was a wonderous place when I was a kid, filled with sights and sounds. But the most amazing thing was that you could get stuff for free. Whenever I went to the store with dad, he would never pay for anything. He would just say: "Put it on the bill." (Of course, I had no concept of what that meant.) So, one day I decided to treat myself and went to the store, asked for a popsicle, and told Simone to put it on the bill. I thought that was so great, I went back later that day and tried the same thing. This time Simone got suspicious and called home, and I was busted! Saturday night was the night my brother, Glenn, and I went to Simone and Martin's residence above the store to watch NHL hockey on TV. That was in the early 50s and they had the first TV in town, and for a while the only one. Simone was a good host and always served us lots of munchies. Eventually, our family moved to the city, but we always kept in touch. In fact, I sold Simone the bike she used to go back and forth between the store and house they bought. The last time I saw Simone was when she turned 90. I visited her with my cousin, Larry, at her retirement home in East St. Paul. She still had 'la joie de vivre'. That's how I will remember her. - Posted by: Grant Bernardin (Former Fannystelle Resident) on: Nov 25, 2022

• Since I was very young, I referred to Simone as Mrs. Pooper - the store keeper. I have so many wonderful memories of Mrs Pooper who always smiled when I called her that. Charlene, my best friend in the world, and I spent many hours playing in their house or in the store. Simone would give us freedom to explore and do silly things such as altering the experiments in a chemistry set that Char had :). So many memories.....She was a strong, vibrant woman who was loved by many. Enjoy the peace and love in your new life Simone. Have a brandy and heck, a whiskey or two, with Mr. Pooper in heaven :) - Posted by: Michelle Painchaud (friend) on: Nov 24, 2022

• Condolences to the family. I will always remember Simone at the General Store on saturday mornings when our Dad would take us kids to town for grocery shopping at Hamel's store and meat at Archies. It was a real outing for us. Simone was always a very happy and friendly person to all. So much of our Fannystelle heritage is passing us by. - Posted by: Sharon Jones (Friend) on: Nov 23, 2022