Obituaries

William John Hamilton

Photo of William John Hamilton
William John Hamilton Jr., 88, of Conway (formerly of Little Rock) went to his Heavenly home on Dec. 17, 2010. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Emelou Mallory Hamilton and his daughters Nancy Smith (wife of Rick Smith) of Hot Springs and Patricia Carlin (wife of Stan Carlin) of Conway. He is also survived by three granddaughters: Amy Smith, Miriam Carlin, and Ashley Buster of Fort Worth (wife of Jeffery Buster) and their daughter, Jaiden. In addition, he is survived by numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. Born in Fayetteville, Ark., on May 2, 1922, Bill moved to Little Rock at an early age. He attended Woodruff, Westside, and Little Rock High School. After graduation from high school, he attended Little Rock Junior College, followed by Texas A&M, UCLA, and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he received a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Management. Later he earned a professional license in Industrial Engineering, which led to a 30 plus year career at Westinghouse in Little Rock. Bill's college time was bisected by a stint in the US Navy towards the end of World War II. Bill was famous in Little Rock for years with his rendition of Charlie Brown's great pumpkin mounted on the roof of his house. Some of his favorite times were spent at archeology digs and at the Little Rock Toastmasters Club No. 1140, where he made many international friends. He also enjoyed studying Shaker history. Bill was first and foremost a loving father, a generous husband, and a gracious Christian gentleman, serving His Lord in a variety of capacities at Westover Hills Presbyterian Church in Little Rock. He and Emelou attended the First Presbyterian Church in Conway. As attested to by all, Bill has been our close friend, and his passing leaves a deep void in our lives. We invite you to share in a special memorial celebration of William J. Hamilton's life on Jan. 7, 2011, at 2 p,m, at Griffin Leggett-Conway (1751 Dave Ward Dr.). The service will be followed by a reception at 3:30 p.m. at College Square Retirement Community (2421 College Avenue, Conway) in the third floor Community Room. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Smile Train, P O Box 96231, Washington, DC 20090-6231 (www.SmileTrain.org) or to Heifer International, P O Box 6021, Albert Lea, Minn. 56007-6621 (www.heifer.org). Online guest registry is available at www.griffinleggettconway.com.

Published January 2, 2011

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