Hilary "Buck" Hamilton's Obituary
Hilary “Buck” Hamilton, age 90, of Springdale passed away Saturday January 18, 2025. He was born April 19, 1934 in Bandera, Texas to Harry and Genevieve Campbell Hamilton. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife Linda Hamilton; two sisters, Cora Mae Hamilton, Ethel Smith; brother, John Hamilton and his great grandson, Colson.
He is survived by two daughters, Jennifer DeMay of Fayetteville and Jodi Ferrell of Springdale; his son, John Hamilton of Mountainburg, Arkansas; eight grandchildren, Ryan, Kayla, MaKenna, Taylor, Grace, Madelynn, Asa and Emerson.
Buck was first and foremost a family man with a life dedicated to sacrificing for his family. First as a son, and later as a father and grandfather. He was raised by a single mother and from an early age he became the oldest sibling and took on the responsibility of financially supporting his mother and younger siblings, dropping out of school at an early age to earn money to do so. While serving in the Marine Corps overseas as a young man, he would send most of his paycheck home to his mother to help ensure his siblings stayed in school, keeping only $10 for himself.
While he was born in Texas, he spent most of his childhood around Gentry Arkansas where he lived with his mother and two siblings in a one room house with a dirt floor and no plumbing. He moved to Peoria Illinois as a very young man to work at Caterpillar Tractor where he remained until he retired as a research mechanic, except for a stint in the US Marine corps.
Buck married his wife Linda and remained faithful to her until her death in 2014. Rather than having hobbies, he focused his time on providing for his family and maintaining a nice house and yard where he spent most of his free time working on them.
Buck was a gregarious man, never seeming to meet a stranger. He could and would strike up a conversation anytime, anywhere, with anybody, whether it was some stranger he met in a store or someone next to him in an elevator. He loved telling stories about his time in the marine corps, whether it was the fact that he got to travel “three quarters of the way around the world before he was 23” or “the isle of Capri was the most beautiful place I have ever been”. His greatest pleasure later in life was spending time with his children and grandchildren, who he was always proud of.
Visitation will be 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Monday January 27, 2025 at Moore’s Chapel. Funeral service will be 12:00 pm at Moore’s Chapel with burial to follow in the Fayetteville National Cemetery.
To place an online tribute, please visit www.bernafuneralhomes.com
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