Obituary

Nancy Jo Hamilton was born October 31, 1932 in Belleville, KS and died February 20, 2015 at home in Bellingham, WA. She was the only child of Cecil and Josephine Munger and was raised on the family farm, surrounded by rolling wheat fields. Her memories of the depression and war years included stories of gas rationing and German POWs working on the local farms.

She attended KU where she joined the Delta Gamma sorority and met her future husband, Robert (Bob) Hamilton. After graduating with a math degree, they moved to Kansas City where she worked for AT&T to support her husband in medical school. With three young children, they moved to Bellingham, WA, where Bob started his medical practice.

Nancy was a devoted wife and mother, busy with church and school, scouting, summer camp, swim team and piano lessons. The family engaged in many outdoor activities under Bob’s direction, but over time she preferred the opportunity to stay home and enjoy some peace and quiet. Her life was forever shaped by the challenges of farm living in a time of scarcity. She lived modestly and raised her children with the same principles.

One of her lifelong joys was singing, and at any time or any place she might break into song. Nancy was a long-time member of the St. James Presbyterian Church choir. She joined PEO during college and was a charter member of the Assistance League of Bellingham. She enjoyed knitting and hand crafts and filled her home with interesting objects of her own making and from her travels.

Although she would fondly remember Kansas, Nancy delighted in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest and was never happier than when at the cabin she and Bob built on Lummi Island. She traveled widely and cherished her grandchildren.

Nancy is survived by husband Robert; children Evan (Jenifer Schwindt) of Bellingham, Christine Frohnen (David) of Henderson, NV, and Ryan (Kimberly) of Seattle; and grandchildren Lindsey and Byron Frohnen and Perry and Lee Hamilton.

The family is particularly grateful to Mette, April and Sara. Their commitment and loving care allowed Nancy to remain in her home as her faculties waned and age took its toll.

A service will be held at St. James Presbyterian Church at 10:00 a.m. on March 7. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Assistance League of Bellingham. Her ashes will be scattered along Rosario Strait in front of her cabin, forever near the place she loved and the people who loved her.