Mary Hamilton

Mary Louise Hamilton, 94, a resident of Bettendorf, died Friday, January 02, 2015 at the Iowa Masonic Health Facility in Bettendorf.

A memorial service celebrating her life will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, January 5, 2015 at Unity of the Quad Cities, 5102 47th Avenue, Moline. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Unity of the Quad Cities. McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Home in Bettendorf is assisting the family with arrangements.

Mary Louise was born April 18, 1920 in Newton, Iowa to Dick and Nell Kennedy.  After graduation from high school, Mary Louise received a teaching certificate from Iowa State Teachers College (now University of Northern Iowa). She taught in elementary schools in Kalona, IA and Ft. Madison, IA.  During World War II, she volunteered for duty in the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), a division of the U. S. Navy.  There she taught enemy aircraft identification classes to anti-aircraft gunner personnel.

After the war, Mary Louise accepted a position at a Veterans Administration hospital in Topeka, Kansas.  It was there that she met her future husband, Murray Hamilton.  They were married on May 17, 1947 in Newton.  They had three children; Mary Ann, Charles and William.  The family lived in Topeka, Mobile, AL and Dayton, OH.  After Murray’s death in 1966, Mary Louise moved the family to Bettendorf.  She then finished her four-year teaching degree at Marycrest University in Davenport and began an 18-year career teaching third grade at Mark Twain School in Bettendorf, retiring in 1985.

Mary Louise loved to teach and loved the children in her classes.  Many students, from the school year just finished and from previous years, would visit her in the summers.  She deeply cared for her students’ futures, both academically and personally.

Mary Louise was very active in her retirement, being most delighted in her home.  She loved to garden, decorate and entertain guests.  She enjoyed playing the piano for church services at Unity of the Quad Cities in Moline, which she continued to do into her late eighties.  She remained close to her teacher friends, to her many friends associated with the church, and those who just happened to meet and get to know her.

Those who knew Mary Louise would universally describe her as a special person.  She would sincerely rejoice in her friends’ and family’s happiness and wished to heal their pain and suffering.  She was a gentle soul who cared for and respected people as individuals.  Her resolute toughness and perseverance through the hard times of life inspired her children and others to face life’s challenges with the same courage.

Mary Louise is survived by her daughter, Mary Ann Hamilton, Bettendorf ; her sons Chuck Hamilton, Savannah, GA and Bill Hamilton, East Moline, IL.