Donald Edward Hamilton of Paducah, passed away at Lourdes Hospital, on the 1st day of January, 2021, at the age of 74. Born September 15, 1946, in Paducah, Don was active in Scouting as a youth and achieved his Eagle Scout Award plus two Palms. He graduated from Reidland High School in 1964 and went on to PCC, where he was an active member of Circle K. He continued his education and graduated from Murray State with a degree in Marketing, and soon after served in the U.S. Army. The Army recruiting office took note of this “clean cut, small town, all American” and made him the face of their recruiting brochure in 1971. After his service, Don went to work for Block Drug Co. and later for Union Carbide now known as USEC where he retired as an instrument technician in 2003. He also had his real estate brokers’ license with Conrad Realty.
Don was a mechanical whiz and true craftsman, showing a wide range of skills and interests, which included electrical, plumbing, welding, auto mechanics, woodworking, and more. He drafted, designed, and help build their home in Paducah. He could repair almost anything. Always a “tinkerer” at heart with a love for design, he could create almost anything in his workshop. Later on, he got bit by the flying bug, and attained his pilot’s license and purchased a Cessna 150 for his entertainment. He loved to fly over the local area stopping off at tiny airports and grabbing something to eat at a nearby local restaurant before heading home. Don shared his love of flying with local youth as a volunteer for the Young Eagles program which gives kids from ages 8–17 their first free ride in an airplane. Over the years he began to collect old radios and restore them. The Art Deco tube radios were his favorite. He had an inventory of over 200, along with several antique microphones. His collection was featured in the 2006 winter issue of “Paducah Life.” Later he opened an antique booth downtown not simply as a source of income, but a way to meet new people and share his love of yesteryear. Don’s ability to create and re-purpose virtually anything was earned him the nickname “MacGyver” after the family TV character. He could almost always find a use for things other people had thrown away.
Don was a former member of the following organizations: Mid-South Antique Radio Club, Kaiser/Frazier Club, Experimental Aircraft Association, Instrument Society of America and Paducah Board of Realtors.
A member of Lone Oak Baptist Church and the Lighthouse Sunday School Class, he was a quiet Christian. Don’s faith was one defined more by actions than words. Whenever he saw an opportunity to help someone, he was quietly there.
Don was predeceased by his father, Carl Hamilton, his mother, Beulah Mansker Hamilton, and his twin brother, Ronald, who died at birth. He is survived by his wife, Marie Ruddle Hamilton, his son, Chris Carver of Huntsville, Alabama, his sister, Carla Farr and husband John, of Paducah, his nephew Kyle Lake of Lexington, and niece, Ansley Lake Sanders and husband, Scott, of Paducah. He is also survived by his cousin, Jerry Wells who he thought of as a brother, along with several close cousins and their families.
Funeral services will be at Milner & Orr Funeral Home of Paducah on January 6, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. with Rev. Bob Martin officiating. Friends may call from 10:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. at Milner & Orr Funeral Home of Paducah the day of the service.
Burial with military rites will be at Pleasant View Memorial Gardens in Fulton, Kentucky.
Expressions of sympathy make take the form of donations to: Lone Oak First Baptist Church Mission Fund, 3601 Lone Oak Rd. Paducah, KY 42003 or The Gideons
International Paducah East Camp, P.O. Box 8436. Paducah, KY 42002-8436.
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