Passed away at the F.J. Davey Home on Thursday, April 25, 2024 at the age of 93.
Daughter of the late John and Ottilia Dilschneider. Loving wife of the late Murdock (Dick) Hamilton. Cherished mother of Nick (Sharon), Skip (Cate), late Jayne (John), Martin (Kim) and Mike (Nicole). Devoted grandma of Duane, Kevin (Maria), Jody, Josh (Cari), Erica (Andy), Jeremy (Melissa), Jordan, Jace (Emily), Tara (Jaime), Justine, Elliott, Kiara and Breanna. Great-grandmother of many. Loving sister of the late Kay, late Sally, late Marie, late Pauline, late Fred, late Martin, late Sy, late Florence, late Del, late Paul, and survived by Donna and Darlene.
As I told Aunt Donna, this is what happens when you leave sons to write an obituary. Well, as mother would say, if you don’t get it right the first time, try, try, again. In our defence Duck, no great works were ever created in a day. For everyone’s reading pleasure, please enjoy Dorothy Hamilton 2.0 Obituary.
Come to think of it, few people in our family are good with words, Dorothy included. Like the great old saying, her character was more clearly shown through her actions. She was not a conventional grandma by any means, but that was most likely due to her German roots. She gave boney hugs and showed love in the tiniest little crevices of our lives that you can’t really notice until they’re no longer there. While she was always the first to sing our praises the loudest and most vibrantly, enough so that I almost feel sorry for everyone who had to listen to her brag about her family… almost. However, it was truly her actions where she showed her most love, like not allowing her grandkids to leave the house without brushing their hair, or standing over us at the sink and placing her hands over ours to make sure that we really got underneath our fingernails when washing up. She had home remedies for every occasion, albeit their effectiveness being arguable, like making us do headstands against the wall when we had stomach aches. She would make sure we would always leave a tiny bite of food on our plates for portioning so we wouldn’t be overweight, and she’d let us drink grape juice from a wine glass to feel fancy. Instead of cookies, her home always smelled like bars of soap and fresh washed clothes. And even when our parents were annoyed with us, she would find a way to slip a toonie into the hands of her grandchildren unsuspectingly.
Dorothy strongly believed that the way you present yourself to the world has the greatest impact on the world around you, and she certainly represented this daily. Dorothy was a lover of all things beautiful, and she could find beauty in anything; the way fabric drapes, the way jewellery shines, the way the pros would swing gracefully at golf balls (of course no one had a more beautiful swing than her). She even found beauty in her pet crows that she would feed every day in her backyard. Dorothy went as far as keeping up with regular salon appointments, even when she was in the early stages of dementia.
As a woman who adored anything fashion, makeup, and loving any occasion to dress up (especially Halloween) she unfortunately had a daughter and four daughters-in-law who never shared the same interests. Luckily, her sons happened to pick up a few habits and always seem to share vain glances with mirrors.
Regardless of this all, she was not a flashy person by any means and knew how to take care of herself. The world lost a breathtaking seamstress who could sew anything meticulously, even a well-tailored suit if she ever fancied. She had a husband who travelled a lot for work and managed to raise five wonderful children who have lived fulfilling lives. Resilience builds when raising five and losing one, and Dorothy was amongst the strongest of us all. While Dorothy couldn’t find the words to often express her emotions to her loved ones, we recognize the courage and strength she carried with her daily, and the hardships she had to face to become the beautiful woman she was and still is in our hearts. She deserves more than anything we could ever give her, or write for her. She held our family together and made sure the needs of all her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren were met. There is no one who could ever replace the presence she held in our family.
Give Jayne a big hug for all of us, and be patient, we’re all working on living exciting lives so we can fill you in on the tiniest details when we see you again. Until then, see you later alligator.
The family wishes to thank the staff of Apple 1 and Driftwood 3 at the F.J. Davey Home, for their care and compassion, with special thanks to Tracey and Mindy for comforting mother in her final moments.
Arrangements entrusted to www.arthurfuneralhome.com.