Rowland Early Hamilton

Rowland Early Hamilton was born on July 20, 1931, in Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina. His parents, Joseph Warren Hamilton and Lavenia Irene Early Hamilton, already had their hands full with three boys, Eugene “Gene” Warren, Charles “Grady,” and Joseph Thornton “Tony,” when Rowland joined the family. They later welcomed Margaret Dunn, Linda Faye, and Barry Lane to the family. Rowland also had an older half-brother, Billy Warren Hamilton, from his dad’s previous marriage.

The family moved to Bridgeton, North Carolina when Rowland was about 5 years old. He and his adventurous brothers spent much of their time on the Neuse River swimming, fishing and most importantly, sailing. Rowland attended Bridgeton High School where he met the love of his life, Mary Louise Hargett. Rowland and Mary Lou were married June 9, 1951.

From an early age, Rowland learned to not only work, but to work hard. He began working in plumbing at the age of 10, and then as a teenager he helped install an oil pipeline for a gas company. Those years of experience came in very handy when Rowland was drafted into the Army during the Korean War and only three months after he and Mary Lou were married. Rather than serve in combat duty, Rowland was assigned to be a plumber in the 97th General Hospital in Frankfurt Germany. He spent two years in Germany, before receiving an Honorable Discharge from the Army with a rank of Private First Class, and returning home to his young bride.

After being apart for two years and nearly their entire marriage, Rowland and Mary Lou decided to make their new home in Mesa, Arizona. It was there that Rowland and Mary Lou were sealed for eternity in the Mesa Arizona Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on January 4, 1954, and it was there that they started their eternal family. They welcomed their first child, Marion Keith in 1954. Jeffery Kim came along in1956, and Lavonda Christine was born two years later in 1958. Sharla Capri completed their family in 1962.

Rowland used his GI Bill to receive several years of career training in interior design, after which they started their own business, Window Wonderland. For 30+ years they made custom draperies and sold carpet and decorative furnishings from their shop in downtown Mesa. Their creative talents added beauty to every home they touched. Their most cherished assignment was making the beautiful draperies for the Mesa Temple when it was refurbished in 1974.

After selling their business in 1980, Rowland and Mary Lou bought a beautiful 160-acre ranch Southeast of Durango, Colorado where they lived for 12 years. While there, Rowland worked for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as their physical facilities director for the buildings in the region. Once retired from his work with the Church they sold the ranch and moved back to Mesa. They eventually moved back to Bridgeton, North Carolina, where they enjoyed time with family and spent countless hours on their sailboat. Mary Lou passed away in 2013, after which Rowland returned to Arizona to live with his children.

Mary Lou introduced Rowland to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while they were dating. He was baptized before they were married and he remained a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ throughout his life. He dedicated many years of service to the Church, and he particularly enjoyed anything involving the Temple. He spent 17 years as the stage manager for the Easter Pageant at the Mesa Temple. After retiring, Rowland and Mary Lou served a one-year mission at the LDS Business College in Salt Lake City, UT and later served as Ordinance Workers in both the Washington D.C. and Raleigh Temples.

Rowland miraculously survived many accidents and illness that should have taken his life, but as the old Timex saying goes, he took a licking and kept on ticking. Eventually his 94+ year old heart just simply could not keep ticking. In his final days, he asked for Kim. As Kim took his dad’s hand, Rowland said to him, “It’s time to go home.”

Rowland passed away peacefully at home in Cornville, Arizona on March 16, 2026.

It must have been a great reunion as he was welcomed home by those who had preceded him in death, including his beloved wife, Mary Louise; his son, Keith; his parents, Joseph and Irene Hamilton; brothers, Billy, Tony and Gene; his Sister, Margaret McVey; and two great grandchildren, Dylan Nichols and Riley Millikan.

Rowland is survived by his brothers, Grady and Barry Hamilton; his sister, Linda Gaskins; his children: Kim Hamilton (Stacey), Chris Thompson (Steve Bowman); Capri Barney (Arden); daughter-in-law, Kimberlee Hamilton; 23 grandchildren; 48 great grandchildren; and 4 great great grandchildren.

A celebration of Rowland’s life will be held on April 4, 2026, at 10:00 AM at Cotten Funeral Home, 2201 Neuse Blvd., New Bern, NC. Following the service Rowland will be laid to rest next to his sweet wife and among several of his family members in the Hamilton family plot at the Bridgeton Cemetery in Bridgeton, North Carolina.