Arthur Girard “Jerry” Hamilton, Jr., 97, of Amarillo, TX lost his battle with COVID on December 1, 2020. A private family service will be held. Jerry was born July 22, 1923, in the Presidio at San Francisco, California into an Army Air Corps family. Jerry attended The University of Texas at Austin and was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. His nickname was “Slick” due to his propensity to perform magic tricks and he was a proud member of the UT fencing team.
In WWII Jerry was a reporter on the camp newspaper and later a celestial navigation trainer operator at Barksdale Field, Louisiana. After Infantry Officers’ Candidate School, he taught basic training. As he was sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge bound for Japan, the first atomic bomb was announced. He served in Manila and later was transferred to McArthur’s headquarters in Tokyo.
Jerry re-entered UT, met and married Dorothy Irwin in 1948, then graduated from UT with a BJ degree and an advertising major. He was hired on a “temporary” basis to Sears advertising department and retired 33 years later as advertising manager over the south Texas region.
Jerry was an Elder and long time Sunday School teacher at Central Christian Church in San Antonio and later joined First Presbyterian Church in Amarillo. He enjoyed creating his own hand-painted Christmas cards based on his family’s travels. He was a dear man and Heaven will be a brighter place with him there.
He is survived by his wife, Dorothy, his daughter and son-in-law, Susie and Jay O’Brien of Amarillo, and beloved grandsons, Wales Madden IV and wife Lauren, Hamilton Madden and wife Paige, and his great-grandchild, Wales Madden V, “Cinco” all of Austin. He was preceded in death by his parents and a son, Mark Hamilton who died in 1974.
In lieu of flowers please consider donations to Heal the City, the No Excuses Fund at Amarillo College, First Presbyterian Church or the charity of your choice. Special thanks to Alex at Visiting Angels and BSA Hospice of the Southwest.
The Peacock Military Academy sends its heartfelt condolences to the Hamilton Family for the passing of our brother Arthur Girard Hamilton Jr. Class of 1940. We will honor Jerry on October 10th 2021 on the Peacock Campus. His name will be called and a fellow cadet will respond with “Here Sir”, for he remains present in our hearts.
I am so sorry. I worked at Park Central and adored Jerry! We had an ongoing friendly rivalry when UT played my school, Kansas State! He is a good man and will be missed! I was fortunate enough to receive his beautiful Christmas card over the years. Thank you for sharing him ❤️
What a beautiful obituary for a gentleman who embodied “the greatest generation.”
Carol Lovelady