Helen Marion Hamilton

Helen Hamilton died Saturday, November 1st at Longmont United Hospital from a debilitating respiratory infection. She was 88 years old. She had been living in her own home prior to her illness.Helen was born in Turlock, California. Her parents, Gust and Nellie (Johnson) Ericson were first generation immigrants from Sweden. After high school, Helen graduated from Modesto Junior College and Armstrong College in Berkeley, CA. She then joined the civil service as a secretary in San Francisco. In 1942, she met Jesse H. ""Bud"" Hamilton, a PFC in the U.S. Marine Corps who would become her future husband. After Bud joined the Battle of the Pacific in WWII, Helen enlisted in the Marine Corps Women's Reserve in March 1943. She continued to work in the San Francisco area until Bud returned home after being wounded in combat. They were married on March 9, 1945 in Berkeley, California. Following their discharge from the Marine Corps, they moved to Longmont, CO to manage a grocery store with Bud's father-- Hamilton's Market. Helen worked at home raising their three children. In 1962, Helen returned to the civil service as an administrative assistant with the Federal Aviation Administration's Air Traffic Control Center in Longmont. After retirement, Helen and Bud traveled to locations all over the world. At home, Helen indulged her passion for quilting by collecting fabrics and creating new projects. Always an avid reader, Helen often had two books ""going"" at the same time. Her rose garden was her pride and joy. Helen loved all types of animals. She fed the wild birds and squirrels that visited her home. She contributed to the local humane society, CSU's veterinary school for animal research, as well as to other animal protection agencies throughout the state and worldwide. Helen is survived by two daughters, Susan Hamilton and her husband, Jim Setterlund, and Patty Hamilton; her son, Jeffrey Hamilton and his wife, Kathy, and their two children, Merissa and Eric. She was preceded in death by her husband, Bud, on September 16, 2003, and also by her parents. A graveside service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, November 14, 2008, at Longmont Mountain View Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions in Helen's name be made to the Longmont Humane Society, 9595 Nelson Road, Longmont, CO 80501.Please share thoughts, memories and condolences with the family at www.howemortuary.com.