Arthur Dean Hamilton

Arthur Dean Hamilton, 62, of Gray passed away at home unexpectedly on 04 September 2020. Dean, as he was known, was the youngest of five children born to Herbert Ernest Hamilton Sr. and Ruth Emma (Gallant). Dean grew up in North Yarmouth and graduated from Greeley High School in the Class of ‘76, soon after he married Denise Marie (Hersey) on 19 January 1979. They built a home and moved to Gray shortly after starting a family. He worked as a foreman for The Anderson Company in North Yarmouth manufacturing wooden lobster traps until the early 90’s.

Dean could be a difficult man to know. His upbringing was by no means traditional, he often relied on the support of his older siblings to get by, but would frequently fend for himself either by choice or necessity. He often told stories about how when he was young he would walk from their home on Sligo Road in North Yarmouth two miles to Handy Andy’s in Yarmouth, picking up cans alongside the road which he would turn in for candy or baseball cards, then walk the two miles back home. As rough around the edges as he may have been he was always a joker and prankster that would go to any lengths to get a laugh out of someone. Fortunately for potential targets of his pranks, he didn’t have the best poker face, usually sporting a grin that indicated he was up to something.

To say that hunting was a hobby would be an understatement. To him and the majority of his family, hunting was a way of life. He was so dedicated that when he had a knee replacement one April he vowed to be fully recovered without the aid of physical therapy by the turkey season in the following May, and he was. He had a deep respect for nature and the land on which he was given permission to use by private landowners in North Yarmouth, so much so that he acted as a sort of caretaker spending much of his free time maintaining and looking out for those lands.

He had a love of sports and sporting events. In his youth he played softball for several company and local teams, where he primarily played the positions of either pitcher or first baseman. He also played horseshoes for many years, and fairly recently rediscovered his love for the sport until a ruptured achilles tendon convinced him to set the game aside for good. Along with his wife Denise, he was a regular spectator at the Oxford Plains Speedway. One of his greatest memories was likely when his daughter, Michelle, brought him to his first Patriots game in 2012 and the 2018 AFC Championship game. He overcame a near lifelong fear of flying later in life that led to him discovering a fondness for travel, which led to several cruises with his wife Denise to the caribbean islands

Dean had a close fatherly relationship with his late father-in-law, Clifton Lewis “Kip” Murphy, who passed 12 November 1999.

He is predeceased by his parents and his eldest sister Arlene Ruth Hamilton, and is survived by his wife Denise Marie (Hersey) of Gray, and their children; Dean Arthur Hamilton of Westbrook, Michelle Lynn Hamilton of Gray and James Michael Hamilton of Lewiston, a grandson; Aiden James Hamilton, as well as his siblings; Herbert Ernest Hamilton Jr. of Lisbon, Thomas Carl Hamilton and his wife Cathy Louise (Buzen) of Limington, and Sharon Louise (Hamilton) and her husband Benito Jordan Senence of Gray.

As per his wishes there will be no services held. A memorial will be placed at Walnut Hill Cemetery in North Yarmouth. In lieu of flowers please make any donation to the Gray Fire Rescue, 25 Shaker Road, Gray, Maine 04039.

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