William Leroy Hampton

William (“Bill”) LeRoy Hampton of Colorado Springs, CO passed away peacefully in his sleep on 15 Aug 2025. Bill was 95 years old. He lived a life of consequence, and there can be no higher praise. He was loving, thoughtful, curious, smart, sought challenges, solved problems, and enjoyed adventure, excitement, and people. He was steady, and an excellent decision-maker. He lived with a great sense of personal responsibility, and sought to make his family happy and enable their dreams.

Bill was born 23 May 1930 in Des Moines, Iowa to Wallace B. Hampton and Mary C (Hardin) Hampton. He was the first of three Hampton children, and was preceded in death by both his parents, his younger sister Mary “Cathy” C. (Hampton) Ditmore of Massachusetts, and his younger brother Kendall “Ken” B. Hampton of Colorado. Bill grew up in the family house on Blvd Place in Des Moines, and all were members of the Plymouth Congregational Church. Bill attended Hubble Grade School, was a Boy Scout, and then attended Roosevelt High School. World War II and the events before and after that war dominated the period. He excelled in academics, sports (Track), and anything science related (including manufacturing gunpowder, setting fire to the High School Chemistry Lab, and building a homemade cannon with his lifelong friend Roger Kupka). Passionate about cars, he famously took the old family car (a Model A) completely apart, and overhauled the engine. He enjoyed many uncles, aunts, cousins and lifelong friends, and worked on his Uncle Hardin’s farm in the summers. Although he had dreamed of attending Iowa State University, he was awarded a scholarship to Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass, (Class of 1952) studying Physics and Math as his major. He was member of the Harvard Outing Club, and the Harvard Wireless Club. But after attending Harvard for 3 ½ years, he was unable to switch majors to Economics, so he left to complete his degree at University of Iowa, graduating from Iowa with his Bachelor of Arts (General Science) in February, 1953. At Iowa, he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, and was a forever Iowa Hawkeye football fan.

After college, Bill interviewed with Cutler-Hammer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and was 2 of 30 applicants to land a job as an Electrical Engineer in March 1953 through an experimental program that included six months of training for technically inclined candidates. He had originally expected to only be with Cutler-Hammer (later a division of Eaton Corporation) for only 2-3 years, but he loved the work and the people, and stayed until his retirement 37 plus years later. His career spanned Eaton/Cutler-Hammer Product Engineering and Sales, specifically Industrial Controls & Power Control Distribution Systems worldwide, as well as Product Development. Throughout that professional career, he was an active member of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers. He was very proud of the fact that his divisions and groups manufactured critical control systems for US Navy warships and submarines, as well as NASA, and many other worldwide industries.

In his first months with Cutler-Hammer, he met his “one-and-only” Marie Gene Stevens of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Marie Gene was the daughter of Eugene Stevens and Ethel (Rechcygl) Stevens (both deceased). They were married 16 April, 1955 at Plymouth Church in Milwaukee. Marie Gene was an elementary School Teacher and they quickly built their first home in 1957-1958 on Michael Drive in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Their son Stephen was born 28 July 1958, and their daughter Ruth was born three years later on 11 July 1961.

Bill and Marie Gene remained in Brookfield, Wisconsin until after Bills retirement from Cutler-Hammer 14 September 1990, and were members of the Brookfield Congregational Church. They moved twice more while in Brookfield; first to Ely Court, and then to Bradee Road. Both Stephen and Ruth attended Brookfield East High School, and then went on to college; Stephen to the US Naval Academy (Class of 1981), and Ruth to Colorado College (Class of 1983). The family enjoyed local trips to northern Wisconsin or visits to Marie Gene’s relatives in Door County, trips east to Massachusetts and Cape Cod to visit Bill’s sister and brother in the Boston area, and trips west to Iowa, Montana, Wyoming, and California. Bill and Marie Gene had the opportunity to go to Europe several times on business and to visit friends, including a notable trip to England where Bill researched and visited Hampton ancestry. Bill continued his passion for old cars (Steve’s favorite picture of him is from the 1950’s with his old Packard), and did most of his own car repair including restoration of Steve’s first High School car (a 1969 VW Bug). Bill took joy in helping Ruth and Stephen with any sport or hobby. Ruth took up residence in Colorado Springs and married Casey Gibson of Colorado Springs, and she always owned a horse (or horses). Bill loved to help repair and restore horse trailers, and anything else Ruth needed in pursuit of equestrian excellence. When Stephen married Teresa (“Terrie”) Beasley of Washington, IN, they lived in Florida, Washington DC, and Virginia; Bill was the guy that did the complex house repairs or dirty cleaning jobs for Terrie during Stephen’s Navy deployments, while enjoying his granddaughters Cassandra (“Cassie”) and Carlie. Bill also fulfilled his joy of sailing in Wisconsin during the late 80s and 90s. He bought his Hunter 33 sailboat CAPRICE and joined the South Shore Yacht Club in Milwaukee. He and Marie Gene sailed and raced in Lake Michigan with many friends and relatives. Adventures included sailing around Washington Island in Door County, sailing across the lake to New Haven, MI, and participation the Queen’s Cup Race of 1991. Those were “over-the-horizon” adventures in heavy sea and winds; an example of Bill’s adventuresome spirit and his approach to learning and living.

After Bill retired from Cutler-Hammer/Eaton, he bought a small Computer Sales & Repair business in Naples, Florida where Marie Gene loved to visit relatives. Bill and Marie Gene left Wisconsin in 1992, and built a home at Hidden Harbor Drive in Naples. From there, they enjoyed summers in Colorado. They eventually sold the computer business, and in 2004 moved to the Village of Skyline (Brookdale) retirement community in Colorado Springs, Colorado, joining the Manitou Springs Community Congregational Church. In Colorado, Bill took on a fresh challenge as President and CEO of Hampton Farms Inc (HFI), which was the small family farm (S-Corp) in Webster City, Iowa (Hamilton County) left by Bill’s parents Wallace and Mary Hampton.

He led and innovated while managing all HFI farming business affairs. He studied agricultural science, consulted on farming sustainability with Iowa State University, and designed, proto-typed, tested, patented, and installed a Silo Ventilation and Drying Control System. He oversaw the installation of a complete tile drainage and Wier system. In 2015, after studying soil, drainage, and weather patterns, he managed the installation of Hamilton County’s only farm irrigation system. HFI was often the most productive and efficient farm in Hamilton Country. Bill and the HFI Board of Directors passed leadership of the farm to Stephen in 2019, and only then was Bill officially “retired” at the age of 89.

Like his father Wallace, Bill loved Baseball. He was a Braves, Brewers, and finally a Colorado Rockies fan. In his last year, Bill was an avid reader and curious to the end. He had just completed books about Mark Twain and Ulysess S. Grant, and was reading “The Fate of the Day” about the American Revolution by Rick Atkinson. After Bill passed, Ruth and Stephen discovered in Bill’s files a “bucket list” from a management and leadership course he had taken in the early 1970s. In short; (1) Own a boat, (2) Learn to fly, (3) Own an airplane (or work for the airlines), (4) Visit England, (5) Own a small business, (6) Make money in investments, (7) Learn to program computers, (8) Own an antique car, (9) Take some philosophy courses, and (10) Learn to manage (or create). He did those, except learn to fly or own a plane, which in hindsight maybe explains the unusual joy he took in small airplane flights with Stephen in California, Florida, and Wisconsin. He decided what he wanted to do, and then acted.

William L Hampton is survived by his loving wife of 70 years, Marie Gene (Stevens) Hampton. He is also survived by his daughter Ruth Anne (Hampton) Gibson, and her husband Casey B. Gibson of Colorado Springs, CO, as well as by his son Captain Stephen Hampton (USN, Ret) and his wife Teresa (Beasley) Hampton of Gallatin, TN, his granddaughter Cassandra (Hampton) Slike and her husband Curtis Slike of Hendersonville, TN, and granddaughter Carlie Hampton of Richmond, VA. Bill and Marie Gene also have two surviving, and greatly-loved, great-granddaughters; Camryn (“Cami”) Rose and Madelyn (“Madi”) Virginia Slike.

A simple service and celebration of Bill’s life will be held starting at 1230 Mountain Time, 29 September 2025, at the Swan-Law Funeral Directors, 501 N Cascade Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80903. A light-lunch reception will follow. Private internment will be at Noon Central Time, 21 October 2025, at Pinelawn Memorial Park, 10700 West Capital Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53222.

Bill would not really want flowers. Rather, in lieu of flowers, please consider memorial donations in his name (William L Hampton) to the American Red Cross, or the National Parks Foundation.

American Red Cross. Use this link https://www.redcross.org/donate/memorial-donations.html/. Enter “William L Hampton” in the Dedicate this Gift field. Choose Red Cross use preference. Click Continue and enter payment type, your information (name, contact info, billing address and pay method). Click Donate, and then select a Tribute Card and a notify message; Marie Gene will still get Bill’s email; [email protected].

National Parks Foundation. Use this link https://give.nationalparks.org. (1) Select amount, (2) Billing Info, (3) Select Tribute Gift “In Memory of” (William L Hampton), (4) Notify Marie Gene at Bill’s email; [email protected].