C. Donald Hamilton

CLARENCE DONALD HAMILTON, 93

Portland - C. Donald Hamilton, 93, of Portland passed away in his home on September 28, 2025. He was fortunate to have lots of care from his children in the weeks before he died and daily visits from his companion of the last 23 years, Virginia Toner. We also want to thank the caregivers from D & C Home Care and Hospice of Southern Maine who helped make his passing as comfortable as possible.

Donald was born in Brewer, ME on May 7, 1932 to Clarence and Ruby J. Hamilton.

Donald was from a family who had immigrated to the Bangor area from the Miramichi area in New Brunswick. He was raised in Bangor and spent most holidays and summers as a child going back to visit relatives in New Brunswick. He was very proud of his Scottish heritage and enjoyed all his family connections in New Brunswick.

In high school Donald was an excellent athlete playing basketball, baseball (catcher) and football. In his senior year he was captain of the football team and chosen for the All-State team. He won the Garland Strand Award as the student who earned the most letters. Donald was on the student council. The students ran the Bangor city government for a day, he served as mayor. His family were active church goers to the First Baptist Church in Bangor where he was President of the Baptist Youth Fellowship.

Donald attended Bates College on a football scholarship. He played the entire game against Yale University. He eventually transferred to the University of Maine in Orono and graduated with a civil engineering degree. While at UMO he was president of the student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Maine Section. He worked in the Maine Department of Transportation's Soils Mechanics Laboratory to help pay for college. His paper on highway finance won a prize at a transportation conference. In the summers he was a land surveyor with Prentiss Carlisle and did construction layout for J.R. Cianchette in Bangor.

After college he married his high school sweetheart, Nancy Bryant, and started his family who eventually grew to four children, two girls and two boys. They bought a home in South China, ME on China Lake where many neighborhood kids would come to hang out and swim in the lake, play with the horses and get wagon rides around the yard pulled by our pet goat. Donald loved the outdoors and became an active Boy Scout leader for 10 years with one of the local troops and helped provide outdoor experiences for many boys.

His first employment was designing structures with Fay, Spofford & Thorndike, consulting engineers in Boston, MA. One assignment was as the resident inspector of construction of the ferry terminals in Lincolnville and Islesboro, ME.

In 1959 he started his 32 year career with the Maine Department of Transportation as a bridge engineer. He designed over 125 bridges and spent 10 years in research and product development. A highlight was presenting his research paper on Weathering Steel Bridges at an international conference on the American Institute of Steel Construction engineers in Atlanta, GA. Three of the bridges he worked on were named as National Landmarks; Crib Stone Bridge - Bailey Island, Harpswell; Sewall Bridge - York; Wire Bridge, New Portland. Donald was very proud of his bridges and took his family around the state on Sunday drives to look at his bridges!

Donald always enjoyed boating and used to take his family for boat rides down to the end of China Lake for ice cream! In his retirement he had many adventures around Casco and Penobscot Bay's and also many lakes in Maine in his 16' motorboat. He would go out for several days exploring the coastlines, sleep on the boat and live a simple life, navigating with map or charts and compass. In his mid 60's he water skied from Belfast to Isleboro which was quite a feat for anyone!

Donald loved to travel and made several trips to Europe and around Canada including a visit to a daughter living in the Yukon bush. He loved adventure! Music and dancing were also something he loved. He enjoyed listening to the oldies and Baptist music as he became bedridden in his final weeks of life.

He may have invented the word "yankee ingenuity" as he loved to fix things, make things last forever, recycle! He was also very organized, liked to file things, categorize everything. Even in his dying days he was making sketches of how to make a bed to his caretakers!

In his later years he always looked forward to any visits he got from his kids and grandkids who he was very proud of. There was often a birthday gathering for him in May which he relished!

Donald was predeceased by his parents, Clarence & Ruby Hamilton and brother Dana (Mary) Hamilton all of Bangor, nephew Jeffrey Hamilton of RI and niece Beth Hamilton of FL. He is survived by his companion of 23 years, Virginia Toner, of Portland, ME, his former wife of 22 years and mother of his children, Nancy Bryant Nutt of Belfast, ME, his four children: Julie Hamilton (Eric Bunker) of Monroe, ME and her son William Watson (Andrea) of Auburn, ME; Polly Mahoney (Kevin Slater) of Newry, ME, Chris Hamilton (Patti) of Whitefield, ME, their daughter Rebecca (Brad) of VA and their granddaughter Hazel and grandson Quinn and their son Abraham (Brit) of UT; Eric Hamilton (Karen) and their children Matthew of AZ and Lucy of PA. His brother James Hamilton (Nancy) of FL, nephew David Hamilton of GA, nieces Sandy Peplau (Jim) of VT and Lynn Dube (Dave) of Portland, ME, many relatives from Mirimachi country in New Brunswick.

There will be a celebration of life held November 15, 2025 at 11 a.m. at the First Baptist Church, Center St. Bangor. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to Literacy Volunteers of Maine: https://lvbangor.org/donate/.