Today  marks one year that our Sonya is gone. During  her 101 extraordinary years, she left an indelible mark on everyone fortunate enough to have crossed her path.  Brilliant, gracious, and endlessly charming, she had the rare ability to make people feel special.

I will always be grateful to have known her as both a dear friend and a cherished client. Her wit, warmth, and extraordinary spirit are deeply missed.

Dear Friend
Promises made
Promises kept
Lovingly remembered

Sonya was a great lady and she made a huge difference for my company Monsanto . As a young lawyer she shaped my communication perspective. Great humor great person. Prayers

I just watched the whole funeral legacy of my Mom's Best Friend .
They were two peas in a pod.
Losing their husbands at such early ages and having to reinvent their lives.

I am not sure what brought me to this web site today..but I am honored that it happened. 

Your mom was truly a treasure.  As was your grandfather and grandmother, and her siblings.   We shared many Pesachs and other 
events such as Black Mtn. , Topsfield Sukkahs, and one of the highlights of being on her Television Show with Laurence Welk.

My Mother was so proud of her friend.  Never jealous, but always in awe as we all were.

Another swampscott treasure has passed.

Love ...Russell Lyons.

My wife was on Sonya’s show on wbz show, It was a show of how help people to lose weight.She always had famous people on her show; such as Art Carney,Phil Esposito, Willy Mays, Van Johnson…There were more….My Wife Judy and I were at a Pats football game in the middle of the winter, snowing like heck and we heard voice calling to my wife, Judy and we turned around and it Sonya and her husband Bruce…We had not seen Sonya for several years, she never forgot a friend….

Bruce Judson

I’m terribly sorry to hear of this loss, especially as it comes to me too late to pay my respects in person. I met Sonya during my time as house manager for Carole and Gordon Hyatt. Sonya was one of our frequent guests, and she quickly became one of my fast favorites. As such, she was welcomed warmly and served as family. I cherished my times with Sonya and savored all her stories. She was a true gem.

Birthday at Carol Hyatt apt - the place where many of us first met the fabulous Sonya Hamlin

Pre 100th Birthday at Museum of Art and design where we had a window over all of NYC

Birthdays galore. This was 101 at Central Park South with Marcy, Nancy and Lynn Kagan.

I had the privilege of working with Sonya as her publicist  for 14 years and worked with her on her unpublished memoirs, which she wrote with humor, honesty and provocative insights.

She asked questions of herself and then posed them to others. 
Sonya was diminutive in size but stood tall among all women.
She was singular in her passion and achievements and touched more lives than she fully grasped.

Sonya understood that answers lie in the  Why” not  in the " What”  and  invited everyone else to explore that with her. 

There was the Sonya with enormous stage presence and the Sonya who was on a lifetime journey of self-discovery sharing her fears and failures, and how she dealt with the all too human feelings that surface when you make changes in your life – as she did with her 12 careers. 

I met Sonya in person  at a "Getting to Next" weekend seminar at Carole Hyatt’s home in 2010, after admirin g her from afar as a student at Boston Univcersity 35 years before.   Her intellectual curiosity was so compelling that I wanted more – so I reached out at the end and proposed a working relationship.  She signed on shortly after. 

She was demanding (to say the least) and spoke her mind – but always knew when to step back if she pushed the envelope too far.  She didn’t suffer fools lightly.  An avid listener, she never interrupted when you were speaking or telling a story of offering counsel. She had a way of making you feel important. 

Sonya projected an image of total self-confidence, and for those of us who knew her intimately, she shared her fragile inner self which humanized her behind the super woman façade. 

I was a student, a fan, a colleague, and a friend, and like all  of you, feel privileged to have known her and been a part of her life.

Having her find value in what I offered was meaningful. Being a confidant and a part of her inner circle was priceless. 

I’m forever grateful.

Dearest beloved family and friends of Sonya, I just witnessed the memorial with you, and tears flow with yours, in love and gratitude that Sonya (and through her, all of you) was part of my life. I met her about 25 years ago at a women's workshop where she spoke of reinventing oneself, and inspired us all. I discovered that she danced in Cambridge years ago, and when I asked her if she knew a friend of similar age, also a dancer in Cambridge, she grew pale and said she had not thought of him for over 50 years! I brought them together, and witnessed a most exquisite sharing of what was most important. I've been blessed to have had profound times full of love and curiosity about life over these past 25 years, not frequently enough, and yet each time full of eternity and Love. Wishing you all health and fullness of loving memory. Susan Olshuff (Lenox friend)

When Sonya hosted her talk show in the 1970s on WBZ-TV in Boston she set the mark and started the trend toward taking emerging women's issues seriously.  It is impossible to overstate her influence and intelligence. She raised a generation of producers and informed several generations of viewers. And that was just the start of her remarkable career. She really, really mattered. My love and condolences to her family.

Sonya, a grand dame, who could talk extemporaneously  at 95 about  her fascinating  almost century of living.  On a more personal note she could  reflect upon moments which resonated with our own from dancing with Martha Graham to her Yiddish upbringing and love of music. And, of course, don’t forget to rank your films at her annual Academy Awards gathering!  There were so many facets of Sonya’s life that we were always struck with new discoveries about her even in recent years   A true model for a well lived dynamic longevity!

Phyllis Urman-Klein

Sincere sympathies to Sonya’s family. A legendary Boston TV broadcaster, Sonya was also one of our city’s most beloved personalities.

An amazing woman and matriarch of a wonderful family. She lived life to the fullest and leaves a legacy and family to be proud of. I feel lucky to have known her. Much love to all who loved her.

A wonderful woman has walked amongst us and is now gone.
The legacy she has left in each of us - be your best - will guide us thru many years.
How lucky we are 
Respectfully 
Iris Fishman

Sonya gave my father, Bernie Berkowitz so much love and life at a time when really needed it. 

For that and more, I'll always remember her with deep gratitude.

Bob Berkowitz

OBITUARY

Sonya B Hamlin

October 14, 1923 – August 11, 2025

Riverside Memorial Chapel

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