Don Hamilton

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Don was born to his parents Lawrence and Almira Hamilton at the family home in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on June 18th, 1927. He was the youngest of the 3 children born into the family, providing him with two older sisters who were Olive and Audrey.

Don attended public school and then later a technical school, both in Saskatoon.

On May 17th, 1952, Don married Gwendolyn Utigard, who would be his loving wife for 59 years. They had two children – Larry, their son, born in 1956 and Wendy, their daughter, born in 1961.

Don worked at a number of different occupations including Bell Boy at the Bessborough Hotel, milk deliveries with a horse and cart, delivering magazines and deep-frying donuts for sale. After these jobs, Don found lasting employment as a bookkeeper with Sask. Transportation Company in 1951 and worked there for 35 years until 1986, when he retired. Don was also a long-term landlord, renting to tenants that he had a very good relationship with.

Don was actively involved with the Saskatoon Aquarium Society for many years and took a term as President of the Club. At one time, he had many aquariums on shelves with different species of fish in his basement.

Tragically, their only son Larry passed away suddenly from cancer in 1985. This was a very difficult time for Don.

Their daughter Wendy was married in 1989, and her family consisted of 3 boys who were close in age. As they grew up, these grandchildren were a great delight to Don and his wife and a great deal of time was spent with them at home, in restaurants, and even a trip to Disney World.

After being married, Don and his wife first lived in a basement suite, then in a small house on 6th Street that they had bought from his parents. In 1968, they purchased a brand-new duplex in Eastview, which was a new large subdivision under development. There, they raised their family and lived for 54 years.

In 2011, he suffered the loss of his beloved wife Gwen due to complications from a stroke.

In 2022, Don was forced to move out of the duplex due to mobility challenges and relocated into assisted living at the Bentley (formerly Emmanuel Village). Three years later, in July of 2025, he had to move once more to a personal care home – named the Beacon House – where he resided until his passing.

Don Hamilton passed away early on Monday, March 30th, 2026, at the Royal University Hospital, after being admitted to emergency the day before with low blood pressure. He had a good and long life of 98 years, having lived through the Great Depression, World War II, as well as the introduction of cellular phones, the personal computer, and the World Wide Web.

He was predeceased by his father, Lawrence Hamilton in 1975, his mother, Almira Hamilton in 1983, his wife Gwendolyn in 2011, his sister Olive (Craig Walden) in 2004, and his son Larry in 1985.

He is survived by his sister Audrey (Arnold Jochmaring), daughter Wendy (Wendell Friesen), three grandchildren: Jared, Colin and Troy Friesen, and one great grandchild, Kaycee.

Funeral services to be held at the Saskatoon Funeral Home chapel on Monday April 6th, 2026 at 2:00 PM.

Memories of Grandpa - Colin

Grandpa played a very significant role throughout my entire childhood all the way through to my adult years. I remember all the times visiting grandpa and grandma and always being excited to go over there because they would always have treats and gifts waiting for us. They were always happy to see us and sad when we had to leave.

We liked going for walks to the park together, I remember walking there with my brothers and Grandpa in the wintertime to go tobogganing. I remember mini golfing with him, that was something we did quite often, and it was always a fun time. We spent time with them consistently all throughout growing up and even after Grandma was gone, Grandpa still loved to see us all the time.

Grandpa also helped myself and my family out financially over the years as he was extremely generous with his money. So I am very grateful for the support I had from him.

Grandpa always had a positive attitude, was never one to get angry with people. He was very easy to talk to, as he would always listen, answer questions, and give advice to the best he could. He genuinely cared about the people around him. He will be missed by everyone.

Thank you so much for everything Grandpa, I miss you and cannot wait to see you again someday in a much better place.

Memories of Dad Hamilton - Wendell

Dad liked his sports on TV – especially the Roughriders football and the Canadian NHL hockey teams. When the Roughriders were losing in a lopsided game, he would turn off the TV in disgust. Sometimes he was surprised to learn that they had actually won the game. When we came to visit Mom and Dad, it was standard practice for Dad and I to update each other on recent game scores and the position of the teams in league standings. On Boxing Day each year, the TV would be closely tuned to the world junior hockey games, which he followed with great interest and enthusiasm.

When our family went to a restaurant with Mom and Dad, it became crystal clear to me that I would not be paying for the meal. Dad resisted every attempt I made to pay for even our share of the tab or the tip. We appreciated this very much as we didn’t have a lot of money to spare for meals out in those days.

They loved their backyard and we enjoyed quite a few meals served outside on the patio. The yard was well kept with many tidy plants, a large maple tree, an outdoor pond and two garden sheds.

Dad liked to talk about how things used to be and our boys listened to the stories with interest and amazement – especially the old car legends and the milk deliveries with the horse drawn cart.

Probably what I will remember most about Dad was his generosity. There was little reluctance to help his extended family out. He was always happy to give us money for the things we needed – like the house air conditioner, a new TV, a snow blower, and a chest freezer or to help cover the expenses of going on a trip. He gave each of his three grandchildren a generous monthly allowance, which continued for about 15 years, right until now.

Dad was a very gentle man and always seemed to have an abundance of time to spend with all of us.

Sincerely, Wendell Friesen

Tribute to Grandpa - Troy

My grandpa was someone I admired for many reasons:

 ⁃ the way he treated people, his family, but really everybody. His friendliness and generosity was something I found worth imitation. 

⁃ His encouragement: My mom often mentioned how quick he was to encourage her at anything, regardless of what it was, through her whole life, I also noticed this encouragement when speaking to him, I'm sure the rest of my family did too 

⁃ The way he loved my grandma, his wife, and gave her his everything and how he grieved when she was gone and shared good memories. 

⁃ His ability to persevere after losing his son and later his wife. He willfully pushed through many challenges but still managed to find positivity amongst of the negativity. He would share joyful memories and remind others of the love and happiness he remembered about them. 

⁃ His priorities were always family first, anytime we would get together he was so thrilled to see us, showering us with attention and frequent gifts for no reason 

⁃ I look back fondly at time spent with both my grandparents as a child, playing games, going for walks, climbing trees, sledding at the park. I really couldn't ask for better Grandparents. In later years, life got busy and I spent less time with them, particularly my grandpa, in the last few years. Though I'd join the family for visits with him, I'll always regret not calling more or stopping by more. He was a true example that we all can take from, of what spreading love and encouragement looks like. I think everyone that knew him can appreciate how my grandfather lived his life, and how he treated others. I will miss him.

Tribute to Dad - Wendy

Dad was born on June 18, 1927, in Saskatoon, in his mother's bedroom. He was the youngest of 3 children born to Lorne and Alma Hamilton. Dad lived in Saskatoon all his life. The three-story house, where the family lived on 7th Street, is still there today. In his childhood, Dad enjoyed playing marbles and going on hikes with his friends. As he got older, he developed a love for hunting and trapping. This, however, became more difficult as his love for animals grew. His two dogs, Duke and Bing, were by his side for many years. Dad attended school in Saskatoon, but these were not easy years as many of his teachers were very strict and made learning difficult. 

In his early twenties, Dad was introduced to my mother, Gwen. I believe it was a blind, double date arranged by friends. It was love at first sight! He believed Mom to be the most beautiful woman he had ever met. He often referred to her as a movie star. They were married on May 17, 1952. She was the love of his life, and he cherished every moment with her. In all my years, I never once witnessed them say even one cross word to each other. 

In 1956, not long after they moved into the house on 6th Street, my brother, Larry was born. I came along 4 ½ years later. I have only a few memories of living on 6th street. I remember Larry and I each had a rabbit. Dad loved animals and likely believed every child should have a pet. 

When I was 6 years old, we moved into a new house in East Hill. I remember the house felt big compared to our old house. This was a step of faith for Mom and Dad as they planned to keep the house on 6th St. as rental. The down payment for the new house had to come from savings. I also remember that we bought a new car around the same time. Some people strongly advised Dad that it was too risky, but he believed they could make it work. It helped that the house was a duplex, which would bring in revenue from tenants on the other side. Not many years later they sold the house on 6th St. and were able to pay off the duplex mortgage in full. 

We got our dog, Pepper, as a puppy, shortly after moving to the duplex. It was the classic story of, “if you don’t take her, she’ll have to be put down”. There was no way Dad was going to let that happen. Pepper was a much-loved member of our family for 17 years.

My brother and I were blessed to grow up in a loving home, free of conflict, except for the typical sibling fights that occurred between the two of us. Even then, it was usually Mom who would tell us to behave or be nice to each other. Dad almost never raised his voice to us. We were praised for every little accomplishment and felt confident in whatever task was before us. Because of the constant affirmation that I felt, I wanted to please them and never disappoint them. 

Dad’s love for animals allowed us to have many pets over the years. Besides our dog, we had hamsters, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits (which produced two litters), a finch and various reptiles including two large boa constrictors, even though snakes were Dad’s least favorite animal. Larry also had an aquarium of tropical fish and joined the Saskatoon Aquarium Society. Dad soon joined him and developed the hobby himself. Even after Larry moved to Vancouver, Dad continued raising and breeding fish until our basement had over 30 tanks with various kinds of fish. He also had a pond in our back yard with large goldfish. As he was developing his fish hobby, he also built a large birdcage in our basement and raised a few families of finches. He didn’t continue this for long because it made him too sad to give up the baby birds to the pet shops.

January 1985 brought heartbreak. Losing Larry to cancer was the hardest thing Dad had ever faced. It left him feeling angry and bitter for many years. 

Mom and Dad continued to encourage and support me through my early adult years as I made decisions about schooling, jobs, buying a car, going to Bible School in Texas and moving into my own apartment. 

Wendell and I married in 1989 and moved to Calgary. I once said that, after losing Larry, I would never move away from Mom and Dad. I didn’t want them to feel like they were losing me as well. I am sure it wasn’t easy for them to see me move away, but they made every effort to come and visit us. Frequent trips were made by us to their home as well. Two of their Grandsons were born in Calgary, which gave them even more reason to visit often. I believe these visits strengthened their relationship with our family even more than if we lived close and only saw them for a few hours at a time. It was during this time that Dad was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer and underwent treatment for several months, including subsequent surgeries. Thankfully, the treatments were successful, and Dad was soon declared cancer free.

While we were in Calgary, Mom and Dad began attending Emmanuel Baptist Church, in Saskatoon, where they developed many friendships and served by preparing communion each month, for the 20+ years that they attended there. It was during this time, that Dad’s relationship with the Lord grew and the bitterness and anger over Larry’s death left him. 

In 1996, Wendell and I felt the tug to return to Saskatchewan so our boys could be closer to both sets of grandparents. In 1997, Troy was born, giving them their 3rd grandson. Before I was married, it was a hope of mine to marry and give my dad a grandson since he had lost his only son. Well now he had 3!

Our boys were the pride and joy of their grandparents. Mom and Dad made every effort to pour their love on them, spoiling them at every opportunity. This was highlighted by a family trip to Disney World in 2001. It was never problem finding a babysitter, they were always available. I had the luxury of many shopping trips without my kids. They would much rather spend the day with Grandma and Grandpa. Even our dog, Reese, was elated to see them with every visit as there was always a treat for her as well. I will forever be thankful that my boys had the same praise and encouragement from them that I had growing up. 

In 2011, Dad’s world was rocked once again. Early in January, Mom suffered a severe stroke. Dad proved his love for her as he spent every day with her in the hospital and at the nursing home as she slowly regained some of her abilities. We were encouraged by her progress until a few months later when she succumbed to an infection that took her life. Dad sat with her during her final hours begging her to stay, but it was her time, and he had to let her go. It crushed me to watch him see her slip away. It was too soon for all of us to see her go. 

The years following Mom’s death brought me closer to my dad. I made a promise to call him everyday. I couldn’t imagine how hard it would be to spend day after day with no one to talk to. Our conversations usually were about what we each did that day and how the boys and Wendell were doing. His praise and encouragement continued with every little thing we had done. What ever it was, it was always, “Good for you, Wendy” or “Good for Wendell” or “Good for…” which ever of the boys I was talking about. That continued until his last day.

The boys loved their grandpa and made an effort to spend time with him whenever they could. It was different than when they were young, but he still spoiled them whenever he could. 

We were blessed to have Dad for 15 years longer than we had my mom. I wouldn’t have guessed it would be this long, as I was sure he would die of a broken heart when we lost mom. But he pressed on and kept a positive attitude, even when, with each year, life became increasingly difficult due to the severe pain in his legs. He continued to force himself to make trips up and down the stairs to do his laundry. It took some convincing to get him to agree to let us install laundry upstairs. When he could no longer manage the stairs in his home, he had to move to a more accessible living arrangement. At the Bentley, he was able to get around using his wheelchair and have his meals provided, while still living independently in all other ways.

Dad made good use of a computer over the years. Using it for storing pictures, record keeping, banking, sending and receiving emails and getting information from the internet. He also enjoyed his TV. Watching hockey, football, curling, old movies and historical documentaries. These were the things that filled his day, especially after moving into the Bentley, where he resided until last summer. When he required more personal care and moved into the Beacon House Special Care Home, we made sure he still had the use of a TV and his computer. However, as his vision began to fail, watching TV and using a computer became increasingly difficult. When he lost his sight completely, we got him an Amazon Echo, which enabled him to access all kinds of information, music and audio books from the internet, using only his voice. It was fun to watch him light up when he discovered he could ask Echo for any of these things. It would talk to him using his name. It was like having a new friend.

While Dad’s mind was still sharp, his natural body was failing and each day brought new challenges that made his life very difficult, leaving him to rely on others to help him with his basic needs. Despite this, he still strived to find something meaningful in each day, whether it be listening to the radio, asking his Echo to play music, read a book, or look up information on an old movie star, or simply enjoying a snack from his latest Walmart delivery. He was particularly fond of his Dairy Milk chocolate bars.

I am going to miss my daily phone calls with Dad and the time we spent together as a family, but I am also happy for him, because now his pain and struggles are over. He can walk and see once again as he is reunited with his dear wife and son and begin his forever life with his Saviour.