OTISFIELD – Henry H. Hamilton passed away from pancreatic cancer on Dec. 24, 2018.

Born on March 10, 1945, to Henry and Mildred Hamilton of Otisfield, he graduated from Oxford Hills High School in 1963 and served in the USAF for 4 ½ years as a Military Intelligence Analyst. He attended the University of Maine, Portland, the University of Southern Maine Graduate School, Gorham, the University of Maryland, La Sorbonne, Paris France, and Alabama A & M. He held degrees in English, French Civilization, and Animal Science and Genetics.

Henry worked as an International Humanitarian Aid and Development Professional, serving in West Africa, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. He worked for the Peace Corps, the Federal Government of Germany (GTZ), USAID, the US State Department (OSCE), the United Nations, and various international NGOs. Henry’s varied career was shared with his wife, Shirley Hamilton, as they worked and traveled together in 50 countries. Henry was a duly elected Fellow of The Explorers Club of NYC since 1990, and was also a member of The Antarctican Society. Between 1989 and 1995, Henry shared his traveling adventures as a story teller on Alabama Public Radio, WLRH. Many of those stories are gathered in his book, Footloose and Curious. He also published Night Full Frightful, a collection of spooky rhymes for children, illustrated by Patricia Chandler.

After returning to his hometown of Otisfield in 2003, Henry served as Superintendant of the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray until retiring as a hobby farmer in 2005. Retired, Henry took particular delight in producing and showing fancy and rare poultry, as well as goats, sheep and llamas.

Henry served as President of the Otisfield Historical Society for nine years, was a Hospice Volunteer for seven years, served as President and a founding member of the Otisfield Community Contra Dance and, with his wife, was a DHHS Shared Living Provider to intellectually handicapped individuals for 12 years. He was an original member of the Oxford Hills Honey Bee Club, and sang with the Hillsmen Chorus.

Henry is survived by his wife of 33 years, Shirley Hamilton; daughter Kristi Sarchi and her husband Christopher, son David Hamilton and his partner Joe Rousseau, daughter Kristen Hurd; grandson Cameron Sarchi; brother Scott Hamilton and his wife Lynda, sister Pamela Blake-Strout and her husband Stephen, chosen brother Mian Ershad Zaheen and his wife Adiba; as well as a vast extended family of cousins, nieces, nephews, and many wonderful in-laws.

Memorial Services will be held at the Otisfield Community Hall, 292 State Route 121, Otisfield, on Jan. 19, 2019, from 1 to 4 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, Henry requests that donations be made to the:

Otisfield Community Contra Dance

877 State Route 121

Otisfield, ME 04270

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