Dorothy Ann King Hamilton

Dorothy Hamilton was with family when she passed away Monday, January 20, at Bethany on 42nd in Fargo. She graced the lives of many people during her 90 years.

Dorothy Ann King was born on a farm in Elbridge, TN, to Talmadge Harvey King and Ellie Diola King Davidson on March 3, 1923. She was the youngest of three, with older brothers Harvey and Charles.

Dorothy was an honor student and a leader of the basketball team at Obion TN High School and attended the University of Tennessee at Martin. During the Second World War, she worked in Memphis where she met Army Air Corps officer Roger Hamilton. They were married on June 6, 1943, and in 1946 they moved to his hometown of Detroit Lakes, MN, where he was co-publisher of The Becker County Record and she helped him proof the galleys. Over the years, four sons were raised in a home their boys’ friends loved to visit.

The family moved to Moorhead in 1962 when Roger was hired as an administrator at Moorhead State College. They were active on the campus and in the community and they kept active after retirement, traveling to Alaska and England and places in between and wintering on the Gulf Coast of Florida and, of course, seeing their sons and grandchildren and great-granchildren.

Dorothy loved her family and friends. She had Southern charm and Irish wit, she was generous and thoughtful and kind and very smart– and she liked to cook and throw a party. Her warm hospitality was a reflection of her compassion for others.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents and brothers and Roger, who passed away in 2001. She is survived by her sons: Roger King Hamilton Jennifer, Onalaska, WI; Douglas Hamilton Sandra, Fargo; Dennis Hamilton Cheri, Roseville, MN; and Patrick Hamilton J, St. Paul, MN; grandchildren: April Brian Selvidge, Chandler, AZ: Amie Shay Hamilton-Good, Midland, TX; Amber Andrew Haley, Denver, CO; Benjamin Hamilton, Fargo; Ashley Hamilton, Spokane, WA.; and six great grandchildren: Sage and Bradi Good; Brock Selvidge; Jaden, Ryder and Landon Haley.

The family would like to thank the staff of Bethany Homes and Hospice of the Red River Valley for their kind attention to her care.

Dorothy helped to create and grow the Roger Hamilton Scholarship for the Department of Mass Communications at Minnesota State University Moorhead.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, February 1, at 11:00 am at Wright Funeral Home in Moorhead.