Jane Marilyn Hamilton
09/09/1926 - 09/12/2008
Obituary
KEWANEE – Jane Marilyn Hamilton, 82, of Kewanee, IL passed away late on Friday, September 12, 2008 at Illini Hospital in Silvis, IL.
Services will be 1:30 p.m. Friday, September 19th at the Schueneman-Tumbleson Funeral Home, Kewanee, Il. Rev. Ross Wyman of St. Peter’s Evangelical Church, Kewanee will officiate. Burial will be held at Pleasant View Cemetery in Kewanee. Visitation will be from 11:30 am until the time of services on Friday at the funeral home. Memorials may be directed to St. Peters Church.
Jane was born on September 9, 1926 in Kewanee, IL., the youngest of four children born to Grover and Gertrude Zang, and was a life-long resident. She attended Kewanee School System and graduated from Kewanee High School where she met and later married her husband of 60 years, Richard Hamilton on February 1, 1948.
Jane is survived by her husband Richard Hamilton of Kewanee, IL; son Hans Hamilton and wife
Zahara of Manassas, VA; grandchildren Franz of Manassas, VA and Jennifer of Chicago, IL.
She was preceded in death by her parents and brothers, Grover Zang and Wayne Zang, and sister, Ruth Zang.
After graduating from Kewanee High School in 1944, Jane went to work for Kewanee Private Utilities. Shortly thereafter, she held a position with Kewanee Machinery and Conveyor for many years until her only child, Hans, was born in 1961.
Jane had a strong passion for music and studied piano and vocal performance with Dr. Hugh Price. She was a vocal finalist at the Chicago Land Music Festival during the 1950’s and played the piano and sang as a vocalist for various functions in the Kewanee area for over 20 years. She was also an accomplished piano accompanist for her son in his musical endeavors during the 1970’s.
During the 70’s Jane was a Judge of the Election in Wethersfield Township and later in life Jane and her husband both worked for the University of Illinois (U of I) at Champaign-Urbana, which they eventually retired from in 1991. She excelled in her role as the executive secretary to the Chairman of the Accounting Department at the U of I and received numerous awards for exceptional performance during her career there.
Jane was a life-long member of St. Peters Evangelical, United Church of Christ where her grandfather was one of the first ministers.
In addition to music, she deeply loved her family, enjoyed traveling with her husband around the country, taking cruises, growing flowers, cooking, baking and watching television and movies as well as playing 500, croquet, badminton, tennis, golf and Ping-Pong.
Jane was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend. She deeply touched the lives of her family, friends and coworkers and will be dearly missed, but her memory will live on through her generosity, love and support of her family and the many and varied accomplishments in her life.
