HQ Tradition Resumes With Tree Dedication, Memorial for IT Associate Ahmed Al Hameedi

On a warm, windy morning in late May, about 30 headquarters associates gathered on the west side of the HQ building to pay their respects to Ahmed Al Hameedi, an Information Technology database administrator who died unexpectedly in September 2021.

Ashley Al Hameedi, wife of Ahmed Al Hameedi, holds their son Eli at the tree dedicated in Ahmed’s memory at headquarters. Joyce Clark, the Database Administrator who helped organize the memorial, is to the right of Ashley. Back row, from left: Maria Holland, IT-Omnichannel Systems Analyst Leader, who also helped coordinate the memorial; Fred Aulgur, QA Analyst; Darren Saga, Systems Programming Analyst; and Michael Hoehne, systems analyst leader.

The ceremony included a tree dedication in Al Hameedi’s honor, resuming a tradition that began more than 10 years ago and was interrupted during the past couple of years by COVID-era restrictions. The most recent tree dedication before Al Hameedi’s was for LaVeta Marlbrough, an associate who died in April 2020.

“It’s been an ongoing tradition for several years,” said Maria Holland, an IT-Omnichannel Systems Analyst Leader who helped coordinate the memorial. “When an associate passes away, team members collect funds to purchase a tree and plant it in their memory, as well as purchasing a plaque.”

A native of Iraq, Al Hameedi had worked for the Exchange for about five years, first as a contractor and then as a full-time associate. But his connection to the U.S, military goes deeper than that.

“He served as a translator in Iraq,” said Joyce Clark, Database Administrator for IT-O Store Development and Support, who also helped coordinate the memorial. “Because he was a translator for the United States, he and his family ended up having to leave Iraq. That’s how much he loved and served this country.”

Al Hameedi had served as an interpreter from 2004 to 2012. His wife and one of his sons attended the memorial, where they were presented with an American flag and an IT coin from Chad Lucas, the Exchange’s Chief Information Officer.

At the service, Al Hameedi’s teammates remembered him for his humor, congeniality and passion. Srinivas Vemu, Systems Analyst Program Manager, spoke about how fun Al Hameedi was to work with. Clark recalled attending the ceremony where he became a U.S. citizen. Michael Hoehne, Systems Analyst Lead, remembered how Al Hameedi had helped point-of-sale systems run smoothly, improving worklife for the team—and personal life for Hoehne, who was able to spend more time with his family instead of dealing with systems issues.

More than a dozen trees have been dedicated to fallen associates at headquarters. HQ associates interested in planting a memorial tree should contact Vice President of Administration Tom Ockenfels for guidelines and approvals and HQ Facility Manager Sean Asuncion for tree types and memorial plaque selection.