Captain John Francis Hamilton, USN Retired

Capt. John F. Hamilton, USN Retired John F. Hamilton, 87, passed away on January 21, 2021 surrounded by his loving family. John is preceded in death by his parents, John and Bertha Hamilton, his siblings, Peggy Jo and Raymond, and his son, John. John was born in Springfield, Illinois, and raised in Paducah, Kentucky, and Clinton, Illinois. After graduating from Clinton High School, he earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree from Harvard. In 1955, he embarked on a career in the US Navy as a Supply Corps Officer spanning 27 years. He retired as the Commanding Officer of FAADCLANT in 1982 at the rank of Captain. Afterwards, he was employed as the Comptroller at the Chrysler Museum of Art and the Administrator of Wilcox & Savage Law. During his retirement, he spent his time giving back to others and served on numerous boards and committees including the Norfolk Sports Club (former president), Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia, Friends of the Virginia Beach Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court, Samaritan House (former president), Notre Dame Club of Southeastern Virginia (former president), Church of the Ascension, Traditions at Cypress Point and Atlantic Shores. John led an honest, hardworking and patriotic life focused on his family, faith and ardent support of the Fighting Irish and the St. Louis Cardinals. He was a talented southpaw pitcher and was once recruited by the Brooklyn Dodgers but opted to remain at his beloved Notre Dame to complete his education. In addition to being the ultimate sports fan, he was an avid golfer, bridge player, gardener and world traveler. John is survived by the love his life, his wife of 63 years, Barbara; his daughters Nancy Reckling (Bobby) of Virginia Beach, Karen Bailey of Chesterfield, Missouri, and Elizabeth Finegan (Tom) of Carrickmacross, Ireland; his daughter-in-law Susan Hamilton of Jacksonville, Florida; his grandchildren Jason “Moose” Hamilton, Jennifer Bauer, Jackie Reckling, Jaime Hamilton, Mallory Reckling, Sadhbh Finegan and Ian Bailey; his great grandchildren Ava, Michael and Molly Bauer; his sister Mary J. McEnery of River Forest, Illinois; and a host of other relatives and close friends. The family extends special thanks to Dr. Paul Conkling of VOA and the entire Atlantic Shores community for their compassion and care in his final months. Following Covid safety protocols, a socially distant funeral mass will be held at the Church of the Ascension on Friday, January 29 at 2:00 PM EST. Doors will open 30 minutes prior to mass to allow visitors to pay their final respects. For those that cannot attend in person, the mass will be streamed live and can be accessed at www.ascensionvb.org. In lieu of flowers and in keeping with John’s wishes, donations can be made to one of his favorite charities: Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia, Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia or The Arc of Jacksonville, Florida. Condolences may be expressed at www.smithandwilliamskempsville.com