John Hamilton Jr

Memorial Services will be held Monday, April 24th 2017 at The River Church located at 517 Walbridge Kalamazoo, Mi 49007. Visitation with family begins at 10am and memorial service begins at 11am. Military Honors will be performed following the memorial at Ft. Custer National Cemetery Battle Creek, MI at 1:30pm Flowers may be sent to The River Church 517 Walbridge St. Kalamazoo, MI 49007 delivery on 4/24/17 from 8:30-10 a.m. John F. Hamilton, Jr. John was born April 23, 1953 to John F. and Lois E. (Selbee) Hamilton Sr. . John went to be with our Heavenly Father on April 9, 2017. He was preceded in death by his parents and eldest sibling, sister, Laura Brown. John is survived by his wife of 19 years, Lisa Hamilton and two step children, Carlos and Sandra. John is also survived by 6 siblings - Cheryl Hamilton of Kalamazoo, Carole Hamilton, Dianne Crill of Portage, Barb and Neil Montgomery of Allegan, Kelley Hamilton of Allegan, and Brian Hamilton of Kalamazoo. John is also survived by many loving nieces, nephews, and cousins. A 1971 graduate of Climax-Scotts High School John excelled in academics, class leadership serving as Senior Class Vice-President, and in athletics. John earned varsity letters in football, basketball, and track while receiving special recognition in football from the Michigan High School Athletic Association as an Honorable Mention All-State running back in football, also earning St. Joseph Valley 1st team All-Conference recognition, while holding the single-season rushing record at Climax-Scotts for 20 years from 1971-1991. John also earned recruiting recognition from Western Michigan University, Central Michigan University, and Eastern Michigan University as well as multiple Division II and III small colleges. However, upon graduation, with John's dedication to supporting his family and patriotism to his country, John entered the United States Navy where he served for 4 years. During his service John served in the Vietnam War on the Aircraft Carrier USS Saratoga. After serving our country, John began working for the Upjohn Company, retiring from Pfizer in 2008 as a instrumentation metrologist. John was an avid nature lover enjoying deer hunting, fishing, and mushroom hunting. John also enjoyed bowling, watching the food network, and cooking. He was a fan of the race tracks as a spectator and participant, winning the checkered flag at Galesburg Speedway his first time on the track. John dearly loved music; his favorites being jazz and blues. He especially loved playing his music favorites while hosting cookouts for family and friends and always said "it's all about the dance". Memorial contributions in memory of John may be made to: SPCA, Kalamazoo Chapter and/or Vicinia Gardens, Otsego, Mi. 49078