Edward A. Hamilton, 92, passed away on December 18, 2009, at his home in Marietta, Ohio. He was born on June 6, 1917, in Hemphill, Texas, son of Beaver and Tillie Hamilton. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 1939 and was a member of the Texas Aggie Band Association. He was a First Lt. in the 8th Field Artillery Observation Battalion and served in Northern France and Normandy during WWII. While in England he offered an Army nurse his seat on a train and later married her on December 7, 1945. He and Margaret Hamilton had a son and two daughters. After serving in WWII, he attended Johns Hopkins University and obtained a PhD in Geology in 1949. His work in oil and gas exploration produced successful wells in Illinois, Kentucky, and West Virginia. He also managed a family timber business in East Texas for over 50 years. After his first wife Marge died in 1996, he actively started singing in barbershop chorus and met his future wife Ollie by selling her a ticket to the Venice Gondoliers Spring concert in 1998. Since then he and Ollie have split their time between his home in Marietta, Ohio and Venice, Florida. He was the oldest member of the Venice Gondoliers Barbershop Chorus, was instrumental in forming the River City Treblemakers in Marietta, Ohio, was a 12 year member of the Barbershop Harmony Society, and he sang with the Harmar Tavern Monday Night Singers. He was a member of the St. Luke's Lutheran Church. He was a Paul Harris fellow of Rotary, a Shriner and a Mason. He enjoyed tennis, golf, fishing, storytelling festivals and teaching his children about the timber business. He is survived by his beloved wife, Olive F. Hamilton, his sister Elizabeth Hamilton, son Thomas E. Hamilton (wife Carin), daughters Ann L. Hamilton (husband Jan) and Susan Hamilton Burleigh (husband Rick), granddaughter Whitney Schelat and grandson Andrew Dugowson. He is preceded in death by his first wife Margaret M. Hamilton. A Memorial Celebration will be held at the St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Marietta, Ohio Saturday, March 13, 2010 at 1:00pm. A reception will be held after the service at Glenwood, Marietta, Ohio. Please send memorial contributions to the Marietta Rotary Club, Marietta Hospice, or the River City Treblemakers. The Marietta Chapel of Cawley & Peoples Funeral Home assisted the family with arrangements.
