After a brief battle with cancer, Luther “Red” Hamrick, born in 1934, passed away on March 3rd surrounded by his children and grandchildren. “Red,” as everyone knew him by, dropped out of school in the 8th grade in West Virginia and traveled to Ohio in search of work.
In Ohio, Red lied about his age to secure a job in a machine shop to make ends meet. One day, a machine worker didn’t show up for his shift, and Red offered to run his station. He out-produced his coworker and made a name for himself in the company. He eventually landed at the George J. Meyer Co., with his brother and cofounder of Hamrick, Gene. At Meyer, Red built some of the earliest packaging equipment and traveled the world, installing and servicing machinery.
Red quickly gained experience, and branched out to start his own company, rebuilding Meyer drop packers. That led to the founding of Hamrick in 1975, which today is one of the last family-owned manufacturers of end-of-line packaging equipment. Red and his beloved wife of 33 years, Marti, often spent their winters in Florida, but you could find him in his office five days a week from May to December.
“The risks he took to start his own business led to the opportunity all of his employees have today,” remarks Red’s grandson Jordan. “Family was the most important thing in the world to him, and he made sure to treat his employees as an extension of that. He was an industry staple and will be missed my many. He made sure that my father, Phil, and I were prepared to carry on his company, and his legacy.” Red is survived by his wife Marti, son Phil, daughters Sharon, Joyce, and Janice; and multiple grandchildren.
