Submitted by: Dan Rich

Wilton Hamilton

July 16, 1913 - Oct. 15, 1995

South Bend Tribune 11/2/1995

SOUTH BEND - Wilton ''Ham'' Hamilton, 82, of Holiday, Fla., and Bear Lake, Mich., formerly of 31st Street, died Oct. 15 in West Shore Hospital, Manistee, Mich., after an illness. Mr. Hamilton retired in 1979 from Bendix Corp. after 31 years of service as tool and die master machinist and was the former owner of Hamilton Archery. He was born July 16, 1913, in Petoskey, Mich., and lived in South Bend most of his life.

On July 16, 1965, in Mishawaka, he married Charldine Eminger. She survives with a daughter, Jane Martin of Farmington, N.M.; two sons, Douglas of Dallas and Bruce of Shiprock, N.M.; a stepson, A. Charles Eminger; eight grandchildren; three stepgrandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; a great-great-grandchild; three sisters, Angeline Harvey of Williamsville, N.Y., Ruth Maculski of South Bend, and Florence Leszczynski of Sun City Center, Fla.; and a brother, Kenneth of Chelmsford, Mass. He was a member of Masonic Lodge 45, Scottish Rite Valley of South Bend, Orak Shrine Temple, Michigan City, Bendix Local 9, American Red Cross, and was active in Boy Scouts of America. During World War II, he was a volunteer swimming and diving instructor for Naval officer trainees at the University Notre Dame.

Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Sunday in Forest G. Hay Funeral Home, 435 S. Ironwood Drive. Cremation has taken place. There will be no visitation. Memorial contributions may be made to Shriner's Hospital for Crippled Children, 2211 N. Oak Park Ave., Chicago, IL 60635.