Joseph Heberling Hamilton (2006)

ATHANAS, CRITTENDON, CROCKETT, HAMILTON, SMITH

Posted By: Mary Welty Hart
Date: 9/1/2006 at 20:27:39

Winterset Madisonian
Winterset, Iowa
Wednesday, August 30, 2006

JOSEPH HEBERLING HAMILTON
San Jose, Costa Rica

Joseph Heberling Hamilton died in the hospital in San Jose, Costa Rica, on Aug. 18, 2006, after a brief illness. A private funeral will be held in San Jose, Costa Rica, at a future date.

Joe was born Aug. 8, 1920, in Winterset, Iowa. He later moved to Iowa City, Iowa. He graduated from Harvard College and also from the Business School at Harvard with an M.B.A. degree. He served in World War II on active duty as a fighter pilot aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Enterprise. After the war, he moved to Greensboro, N.C., and was a personal secretary for J. Spencer Love, founder of Burlington Industries. In later years, he founded Texfi Industries.

Joe loved flying and was happy to learn that, at age 84, he was one of the oldest pilots to renew his pilot license. Joe moved to Costa Rica 20 years ago and was active in various businesses there — including an airline operation in Central America.

Joe was preceded in death by his parents, Judge and Mrs. Clair E. Hamilton of Iowa City, Iowa, formerly of Winterset.

He is survived by one daughter, Holly Crittendon and husband Burr of Charlotte, N.C., and their children — William Burrell Crittendon IV, Hollis Hamilton Crittendon and Havlin Crispine Crittendon; one son, Joseph Jeffrey Hamilton and wife Millie and their son, Joseph Grey Hamilton of San Pedro Sula, Honduras; and three sisters, Prudence Hamilton Smith of Missoula, Mont., Judith and Charles Crockett of Mission Viejo, Calif., and Constance and George Athanas of Durham, N.C.