Obituary for Dennis P. Hamilton
Dennis Paul Hamilton, 73, passed away unexpectedly at home on October 30th, 2024. Visitation services will be held Tuesday, November 5th from 4-7pm and Wednesday, November 6th from 10-11am with a funeral service following at the Utica Fire Station. A Burial will follow at St. Vincent’s Cemetery in LaSalle.
He was born on December 14, 1950 in Kewanee, IL to Russell and Elizabeth Hamilton. He graduated from LaSalle Peru High School in 1969, and was a part of the undefeated 1968 football team that was recently inducted into LP High School’s Hall of Fame. Following his athletic career in high school, he went on to play football at Northern Illinois University.
From there he began his life of service to his community. Dennis joined the Utica Fire Department in 1978. Within his 46 years of service, he was a fireman, Assistant Chief, teacher, mentor and most currently a board trustee. He was also a police officer for Oglesby Police Department for a short time. He served on the Utica School Board as well as the Village of Utica’s council for 8 years each. He was a member of the Local 150 Operators Union.
His true pride and joy is his legacy he left within his family. He married Dorothy (Green) on August 31,1974 and the two just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. The two have three children, and three bonus children with their daughter and sons in law. Over the course of those years, his family grew and he was promoted from dad to papa. Nothing made him prouder than keeping up with all his grandkids and all their accomplishments. You could find him often streaming multiple sporting or school events at one time. He was known for his humor and sarcastic side – never missing the opportunity to crack a joke – even if it made Dorothy mad. He enjoyed countless hours on his fire engine red Harley. Despite his families efforts, he has always remained a loyal Green Bay Packers fan – his two favorite teams were the Packers and whoever played the Bears. Most notably was his passion for firefighting. He gained that interest from his father and it has been passed down to his son, grandson, and granddaughter.
Dennis is survived by his loving wife, Dorothy, children Russell (Beth) Hamilton, Alysia (Kris) Johnsen, and Michelle (Matt) Bumber, 10 grandchildren: Nolan, Makenzie, Daniella, Olivia, Matthew, Clayton, Charlie, Rylee, Josephine, and Jackson. Siblings, Greg (Lorraine) Hamilton, Kevin (Denise) Hamilton, and Lorene Munson, many nieces and nephews and his extended family at Skoog’s. He was preceded in death by his parents, Russell and Elizabeth and younger brother Roger Hamilton, and brother-in-law Dale Munson.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be directed to the family to be donated to a charity in Dennis’ honor.
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