Lavern Hamik

Hastings resident LaVern E. Hamik, 87, passed away peacefully  Friday, June 30, 2023.

Rosary will be 7:00 p.m. at Butler Volland Funeral Home in Hastings. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:00 a.m. Saturday, July 8, at St. Michaels Catholic Church in Hastings with Father Jeremy Hazuka officiating. Burial will be following the service at Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Hastings. Visitation will be 1-7 p.m. with family present 5-7 p.m. Friday, July 7 at the funeral home. Memorials may be given to the family for future designation. The service will be live-streamed on Livingston Butler Volland Funeral Home’s website. To view the service, go to LaVern’s obituary and click the play button shown towards the bottom of the page.

LaVern was born April 16, 1936, in the Sandhills of Nebraska and grew up near the town of Stuart.  He was the middle child of six brothers and one sister - Corky, Rita, Melvin, Marvin, Gerry, and Donnie of Joe and Clara (Ziska) Hamik.

He moved to Hastings in 1954, working 45 years at the grain elevator on the southeast side of town, originally known as Morrison Quirk.

He married Karen (Kanzelmeyer) of Atkinson, NE in 1957 and had three sons:  Kem (Patty) of Omaha, NE; Kerry (Artie) of Miami, FL; and Korey of Golden, CO. He had

4 Granddaughters:  Kaylee (Jason) Vculek, Kara, Kelsey (Patrick) all of Lincoln, NE & Kirsten of Miami, FL,  each of whom he was very proud of.  He was also blessed with 3 Great-Granddaughters: Leah, Sophie, & Adah who meant the world to him.

LaVern and Vangie (Claussen) also of Atkinson, NE married in 2003 after losing their respective spouses paying tribute to their previous marriages.  They spent the next twenty years enjoying life’s adventures.

 Camping and fishing the lakes of Nebraska and Kansas in the summer; college football and deer hunting in the fall; and bowling for “Gene’s Glass” at Pastime in the winter were all favorites of Lavern.  The springtime brought his real passion:  his yard and garden, every year fearing it would be a bust.  Of course, he always had a beautiful lawn and a bumper crop of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, potatoes, etc. and he beamed with pride supplying his family with his bounty. 

LaVern is survived by all his kids and grandkids, his wife, brother, Marvin, and many nieces and nephews.

We will miss him, his stories, his sense of humor, and his generous spirit tons and tons.