Donald E. Hamilton, Sr.

Funeral services for Donald E. Hamilton, Sr., 93 of Viola are 2:00 p.m. Monday at Viola United Methodist Church, Viola, Illinois, with The Reverend Cindy Rettig officiating. Burial is in Viola Cemetery. Visitation is 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Speer Funeral Home, Aledo. Memorials may be made to the church or a favorite charity. Don died Thursday, July 22, 2010 at OSF St. Mary Medical Center, Galesburg, Illinois. Donald Earl Hamilton was born August 15, 1916, in Mercer County, Illinois, the son of Earl D. and Veva Waters Hamilton. He married Panzi Fisher on June 20, 1940, in Viola. She died September 9, 1993. Don operated Hamilton Soil Service in Viola for 20 years until 1981. He then farmed and raised cattle in Illinois and Missouri until his death. He was named Conservation Farmer of the Year, supported various agribusiness and conservation projects, and mentored several young farmers. He proudly maintained an original prairie wildlife area on his farm. Don is survived by three children and their spouses, Donald E. Jr. and Lyndy Hamilton of Viola, Susan and Ron Kiddoo of Urbana, Illinois, and Stephen L. and Linda Hamilton of Kalispell, Montana; eight grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; and a brother, Harold Hamilton of Coon Rapids, Minnesota. He was preceded in death by his wife and a brother, Ivan Hamilton.