Harry Hamilton

Harry McGregor Hamilton, 78, passed away on May 17 after a brief illness. The son of Douglas and Ruth (Parmenter) Hamilton, Harry was born Oct. 22, 1944. He grew up in Hopkinton along with his older brother, Charlie (or Chuck).

A 1962 graduate of Hopkinton High School, he enlisted in the Army and served for four years in different areas, including Europe. After, he enrolled at Framingham State College, graduating with a B.A. in American history. In addition to working as a substitute teacher, he spent 30 years as a member of the United Auto Workers working for General Motors in both Framingham and Tonawanda, New York.

In 1968, Harry married Kathryn “Kay” Fargo, and they had one daughter, Susan. While sometimes strong-willed and opinionated, Harry had an enormous heart and made friends easily. He was gregarious, generous, outgoing and loyal, and people never failed to comment on his charming smile and encompassing sense of humor. He loved a good joke, the Three Stooges and Monty Python. He loved to fish and was an avid fan of Formula 1 racing.

In addition to spending time with his wife and daughter, Harry loved hanging out at his favorite haunt — Cornell’s — and sharing a laugh and a drink with his good friends. An enthusiastic amateur photographer, he almost always had his camera handy and relished sharing pictures he’d captured with everyone.

He is survived by wife Kathryn (Fargo) Hamilton and daughter Susan Hamilton (Jeffrey DePiero), as well as brother Charlie and wife Vicki, and several nieces and nephews: Brian Hamilton, Pamela (Hamilton) O’Toole, Casey Fargo, Sam Fargo, Abigail Fargo and Ryan Fargo.

Calling hours will be held Monday, June 12, from 12-2 p.m. at Chesmore Funeral Home of Hopkinton, 57 Hayden Rowe Street. A memorial service will take place in the funeral home at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Harry’s memory to either the American Heart Association (heart.org) or the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (lls.org).

Obituaries are submissions, typically from funeral homes, that are not subject to the same level of editorial oversight as the rest of the Hopkinton Independent. Obituaries may be edited for grammatical and factual mistakes and clarifications and shortened for space considerations.