61°
Hamilton was born on Oct. 3, 1924 in Winchendon, Mass. and was the youngest child of May Davina Ross Hamilton and The Reverend Rollo Albert Hamilton.
An active member of Boy Scout Troop One in Flushing, N.Y., Hamilton earned the rank of Eagle Scout and attended college with the support of an Eagle Scout Scholarship. He was a Cub and Boy Scout Troop leader in Darien.
He earned his BS in Physics in 1946 from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Princeton University and graduated as an Ensign from Columbia Midshipman School serving in Guam during World War II. After the war, he completed his MBA at Harvard University.
John pursued a career in corporate finance, joining Procter and Gamble in 1949. He subsequently worked for Colgate Palmolive, Lever Brothers, The Bulova Watch Company, Crowell & Collier MacMillan and US Industries. Leaving the corporate world in 1974, John pursued a doctorate in Accounting at Boston University while teaching accounting and business finance at the collegiate level. He began his academic career at the University of Hartford, later joining the faculty at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, and retiring as an Associate Professor of Accounting from Fordham University in 1988.
His community interests included serving as a member of the Board of Finance for Darien and the Board of Directors of the Darien Nature Center.
He is survived by his companion, Harriette C. Thorne of Darien; children, Heather C. Hamilton, and husband, Edd G. Lyon, MD, of Bennington, Vt; John Ross Hamilton, Jr. and wife, Cynthia J. Babler, of Chicago; Robert A. Hamilton and wife, Jackie Chu, of New Haven; Hilary B. Hamilton and husband, D. Maurice Kreis of Hartland; granddaughters Anyata May and Isabel Helen Hamilton, five nieces and nephews, 13 great nieces and nephews and 14 great-great nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by his first wife, Roberta L. Hamilton, his second wife Barbara T. Hamilton, and his siblings, Dr. Donald Ross Hamilton, Elizabeth Hamilton Firehock, and Gordon Ross Hamilton.
A memorial service will be announced at a later time. John had a great love of nature and the outdoors. Gifts in his memory may be sent to either; The Darien Nature Center, 120 Brookside Road, Darien, CT 06820 or Bearsville Fairview Cemetery, Inc., C/O Joe Thomas, 188 Cabin Run Rd., Middlebourne, WV 26149
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Hanson Walbridge & Shea Funeral Home in Bennington, VT. To send condolences, visit www.sheafuneralhomes.com.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Danbury and receive free news updates.
