Dewey Ralph Hamilton

Dewey Ralph Hamilton, age 86, of Tigard, Oregon passed away on January 20, 2023 due to complications from Parkinson's Disease. Dewey was born in New York City on May 4, 1936, to Alfred and Elizabeth Hamilton. He was the eldest of five children. In 1949, the family moved from New York to a farm in Newberg Oregon. Dewey was a multi-sport letterman (3 years football; 2 years wrestling) and president of the Future Farmers of America (FFA), graduating Newberg High School in 1955. He joined the army and served in Korea before his honorable discharge in 1957. In 1958 he married Margaret Chamberlin also from Newberg and pursued advanced degrees in science and teaching through Portland State University and Oregon State University. He and his family lived in Tigard, and he taught middle school science for 30 years in the Beaverton School District until his retirement in 1993. Dewey was also hard at work most summers as a proud steeplejack, a skill he learned while working with his father.

Dewey was a beloved teacher and tireless wrestling coach and assistant. He will be loved and remembered as the first person to step up to help others and the handiest man on the block, patiently offering his knowledge and skills to friends, family, students, and neighbors. He and his wife were enthusiastic square dancers, visiting many clubs throughout the region over two decades. Dewey will be cherished for his wonderful sense of humor and dedication to family, who loved watching his grandchildren participate in sports and hobbies. He loved birds and finding inventive ways to thwart yard squirrels from stealing their food. Dewey cared deeply and was quick to write a passionate letter to the Oregonian to voice his objections to local and global injustices. He also lent his services by volunteering at various local charities.

Dewey is survived and dearly missed by his wife of 65 years, Margaret Hamilton; his three sons and their families (grandchildren), Scott and Janet (Nick, Tim, Molly), of Tualatin Oregon, Andrew and Peggy (Henry) of Portland Oregon, and Matthew and Tonya (Emily, Haley) of Sherwood Oregon; and four great grandchildren, Jillian, Gavin, Marcy, and Knox.

A donation to the Parkinson’s Foundation www.parkinson.org in lieu of gifts is suggested.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.youngsfuneralhome.org for the Hamilton family.