Gordon L. Hamm Jr., 82, of Monterey

Gordon L. Hamm Jr., 82, of Monterey, died Tuesday, November 18, 2025, at his home. He was born on September 13, 1943, son of the late Gordon Sr. and Ellen (Lyons) Hamm.

Gordon worked as a surveyor when young but then got involved with the Department of Conservation and Recreation. During that time, he also worked for the Monterey Police Department and was chief of police. He left the police department but continued to work for the park service. He started at Beartown State Park as a “conservation helper” for the Department of Environmental Management and worked for the Park Service for 30 years. He worked many of the parks in Berkshire County, including Mount Washington, Sandisfield, October Mountain, and Otis Reservoir before finishing his career where it began at Beartown State Forest.

Gordon loved to hunt and hike; he spent as much time as he could outside. He mowed lawns, cut wood, and plowed in the winter. He also loved to travel, but never in a plane. He enjoyed taking road trips with his three children and drove across the United States with them to places including Florida, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, and Maine. He was good mechanically, receiving a certificate for small engine repair in 1989 and often fixed his own lawnmowers or chainsaws. He loved spending time with his father on his father’s farm in Ghent, N.Y., where he would help take care of the cows and bring in the hay. He later raised chickens at his cabin in Monterey and enjoyed spending time with his “girls.”

Gordon was a member of the James A. Modolo VFW in Great Barrington, a longtime member of A.F.S.C.M.E., and received the M. Michael Botelho award from them in 1993. He proudly served his country in the U.S. Army in Vietnam from 1963 to 1966 and received the Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and Vietnam Service Medal.

Gordon was a loving father and brother, survived by his son Gordon D. Hamm; his two daughters, Ellen Brady and Shanna Hamm; and his brother Wayne D. Hamm. In addition to his mother and father, he was predeceased by his sister Margret and his brother James.

A funeral service with military honors for Gordon L. Hamm Jr. will be held on Tuesday, November 25, at 10 a.m., at the Birches-Roy Funeral Home, 33 South Street, Great Barrington, MA, with Reverend William P. Murphy officiating. Family will receive friends at the funeral home on Tuesday, November 25, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Condolences may be made through the funeral home’s website.