SPARLING, E. Hamilton

May 20, 1928 — August 11, 2023

Hamilton Sparling was born on May 20, 1928, in Pembroke, ON, and he passed away peacefully, at the age of 95, in the company of family on August 11, 2023, in Kelowna, BC.

Hamilton is mourned by his wife of 72 years, Elizabeth; brother & sister-in-law, Bill & Jane; daughter, Lynn; son & daughter-in-law, Ronald & Martha; daughter-in-law, Jane; and son-in-law, Mark; as well as his grandchildren, Beth, Laura, Julie, Cam, Brennan, and Mackenzie; and his 4 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his son David, who passed in 2016.

Hamilton was a renaissance man in the true sense of the word. He studied engineering at Queen’s, starting at the early age of 16 as a scholarship student. He was a very proud Queen’s alumnus, attending all possible reunions, and generously contributing to future students’ education via scholarship funds. He was an artist, especially loving the use of charcoals, and a jazz-loving musician playing piano, trumpet, harmonica, and the drums.

Hamilton spent the majority of his engineering career at DuPont Canada, rising to Employee Relations Director. Hamilton & Betty celebrated his retirement in 1988 by taking a trip around the world. In the following years, they embarked on several educational cruises, reaching places as far as the Arctic and Asia. In addition, they took their entire clan on several family vacations to Mexico and the Caribbean, and on an Alaskan cruise out of Vancouver.

Hamilton was an accomplished athlete who loved downhill and water skiing, tennis, curling, sailing, and softball. He stayed active for as long as his body would allow, pitching on his softball team until the age of 83 and downhill skiing until 88.

Time at the cottage was always precious to Hamilton. He loved being active with his family and friends, first at Buck Lake then at Lac des Seize Iles – where he was well known for his BBQ steaks and martinis on the porch.

In 1997, Hamilton and Betty moved to Kelowna, BC to be closer to Lynn’s family. There they enjoyed skiing and exploring the nearby mountains, and sampling the fine BC wines.

Hamilton was an avid reader; books are how he taught himself to sail, invest his money, perform math tricks, and understand the brain. He was eager to share his love of learning with others. Hamilton was an inspiration to all who had the good fortune to know him. He instilled in his children and grandchildren the values of fairness, tolerance, and equality that guided his and Betty’s lives.

His presence will be dearly missed by his family.

Donations may be made to the “David Sparling MBA Award” at The University of Western Ontario.

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