Jesse Lee Hamilton, 47, died Monday, Dec. 30, 2019, at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital in Brattleboro, Vermont. He was born on September 30, 1972, in Brattleboro, the son of Dean and Linda Hamilton.
He was the husband of Jody Oakman-Hamilton. They were married on Feb. 9, 2013 in Marlboro, Vermont.
Jesse attended Brattleboro Union High School and graduated in 1990. He first served with the United States Army Reserve in the transportation section of the 3rd battalion, 35th Infantry, 187th Infantry Brigade located in Springfield, Massachusetts.
In 1992, he deployed with the battalion to take part in 4,000-troop training exercise held at the Combined Forces Training Base in Gagetown, New Brunswick, Canada. He was later assigned to HQ, 187th Infantry Brigade, Fort Devens, Massachusetts, where he served as a driver for the brigade commander.
The following year, he participated in training exercises in Iceland with elements of the brigade headquarters. With the inactivation of the 187th in 1994, Sergeant Hamilton went on to serve several years with the New Hampshire Army National Guard. He was very proud of his military service and thankful for the lasting friendships that he formed in the ARNG and USAR.
As a child Jesse was a Boy Scout and volunteered as a Big Brother in his early twenties. He was a volunteer firefighter for the Marlboro Fire Department in Marlboro for 18 years and was dedicated to his country, community, family and friends. Jesse worked for the town highway department in Marlboro for nine years and took pride in his work on the road crew.
Jesse also took pride in his herb and flower gardens and making sure his yard was pristine. He also enjoyed cooking, experimenting with new recipes, making his own pasta sauce from his homegrown tomatoes, and he started making his own pickles.
His joy was spending time with his family and family gatherings. Jesse enjoyed watching anything about trains, heavy equipment and trucks and talking with his dad about them. For a few years Jesse participated in tractor pulling with the Vermont Tractor Pullers Association.
The love that Jesse and Jody had for each other was well seen by everyone who knew them. They were soul mates and were rarely seen apart from each other.
Jesse was predeceased by his paternal grandparents R. Edward and Ruth Hamilton and his maternal grandparents Herman and Mildred Monmaney as well as his father in-law Edward H. Oakman.
He is survived by his husband Jody, stepchildren Tristin Oakman (Cora Jordan), Rachel Richardson (Andrew), granddaughter Adaline Richardson, his father Dean Hamilton and mother Linda Hamilton, sisters Jennifer Carpenter (Rick), Amy Fletcher (Adam) and Tina Crum (Jim), nephews Gavin and Owen Sullivan, Drew Fuller, Colby Crum, nieces Gabrielle and Lauren Carpenter and Kiley Fuller. Jesse also is survived by his in-laws Christine Bell (Geoff), Theresa Oakman, brothers in-law Jason and Joel Oakman and their children, Cheyenne, Josh, Caroline and Caitlin Oakman, several aunts, uncles and cousins, as well as by his cat Clover and dogs Basil, Sophie and Hamilton.
A celebration of life will be held Saturday, Jan. 18, at the Eagles in Brattleboro, Vermont, from 2 to 6 p.m. for friends and family.
Those who wish may make a memorial contribution to the Marlboro Volunteer Fire Department in Marlboro, Vermont, or Deerfield Valley Rescue in Wilmington, Vermont.