Obituary – for James D. Hamilton
ANDOVER, MA – James Dahlgren Hamilton, 92, of Andover, MA, and The Narrows, Islesboro, Maine, died at his home on April 8, 2018, surrounded by his loving family.
Born in Winchester, MA, the son of the late James Scott Hamilton and Gunhilde Helena (Dahlgren) Hamilton, he grew up in Winthrop, MA. After graduating from Winthrop High School, Mr. Hamilton attended the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and graduated as a Deck Officer in the Merchant Marine and an Ensign in the Navy. He accepted a commission in the Merchant Marine Service during World War II, and sailed aboard the Liberty Ship the SS Abbot L. Mills in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean Theaters, traveling as far as Calcutta before their orders to the Pacific Theater were cancelled due to the Japanese surrender. After the war, he continued in the Merchant Marine, sailing the world, including delivering grain to war-ravaged Europe for the Marshall Plan, until he came ashore in 1950. He remained in the US Naval Reserve until he was honorably discharged as a Lieutenant Junior Grade in 1956.
He worked as a carpenter and contractor for nearly fifty years, building more than 100 custom homes in the Andover/North Andover area, until his retirement in 1998. He spent the last twenty-five years of his career building custom curved stairways that grace many homes in the area. A longtime resident of Andover, he volunteered his time and services as the Chair of the Town Building Committee which oversaw the construction the Andover Public Safety Building in the late 1960’s, and as a member of the building committee overseeing the expansion to West Elementary School during the same period.
Mr. Hamilton had a lifelong love of the sea and sailboats. He built a 22-foot Friendship Sloop in his yard in Andover, which he and his wife launched and sailed from Newburyport, MA, to Islesboro, Maine, where they used their summer cottage, which he built in 1975, as a base for many adventures sailing to the islands of Penobscot Bay and the Gulf of Maine. He and his wife also shared his love of reading, hiking, and skiing. He was one of the first season pass holders at Sugarloaf Mountain, where he built a cabin and spent decades skiing with many cherished friends. Above all else, he loved time spent with friends and family.
He is survived by his loving wife of 45 years, Ann Harris (Brooks) Hamilton; their daughter Sarah Hamilton Rigg and her husband Bailey Rigg of Brookfield, NH; his son James S. Hamilton and his wife Maria H. Hamilton of Andover, MA; and four grandchildren: Jack Hamilton of Los Angeles, CA; Renee Hamilton of Quincy, MA; and twins James and Alexander Rigg of Brookfield, NH. Other surviving family includes brothers-in-law Jim Brooks and his wife, Pattie, of South Addison, ME, and Naples, FL; and Bob Brooks and his wife, Bonita, of Stockton Springs, Maine; and many nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and -nephews. He was predeceased by his ex-wife, Gloria (Adams) Hamilton, and their daughter, Jane Hamilton (Andover High School, ’68), as well as his brother and sister-in-law, John C. and Eleanor, Hamilton.
Visiting hours for family and friends will be held 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m on Saturday, April 14, at Burke-Magliozzi Funeral Home, 390 North Main Street, Andover, MA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to MSPCA Nevins Farm, 400 Broadway, Methuen, MA 01844 and/or Merrimack Valley Hospice, 360 Merrimac St., Lawrence, MA 01843. A private military service will be held in the Spring Grove Cemetery in Andover in June. For additional information, please visit, www.burkemagliozzi.com.