Val Hamilton

With heavy hearts, we announced the passing of Val Hamilton, 89, of East Falmouth, Massachusetts on January 31, 2023.

Val was born on February 19, 1933, in Chicago, Illinois to Adolph and Mary Ziska. After a tragic accident left her blind, she went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Chicago. Val was a proud Democrat, and she let everyone around her know it. She enjoyed literature and music, and engaging in long conversations about politics or sports. She was a lifelong fan of the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots. Val loved animals, and she cared for several guide dogs throughout her life. She was an accomplished equestrian who took pride in helping disabled children learn how to ride.

Val was preceded in death by her first husband, Jimmy-Dan Hamilton and her second husband, Robert Nels Hotvedt. She is survived by her children, Robin Vachon (Kenneth), James Hotvedt, and Lindsay Clemens (Marshall), grandchildren, Caitlin, Benjamin, Amanda, Daniel, Sarah, Ryan, Max, Jesse, Ryan, and Haley, and great-granddaughter, Maddison.

“…It wasn’t evening yet. There weren’t any other stars around. There was nothing around except plain, ordinary sky. But the little star kept twinkling. And—somehow—the sky didn’t seem so plain and ordinary any more.”
Quote from Twig by, Elizabeth Orton Jones