Lela June (Lewis) Hamilton of Bement, previously from Atwood, Illinois, was born on June 30, 1929, in Wever, Iowa, to Harry Edgar Lewis, Sr. and Avis Lela (Sheppard) Lewis. She was the youngest of seven children: Roy, Sherley, Harry, Dean, Dorothy, and Verna. Her parents and siblings preceded her in death. She graduated from Lockridge High School and attended Iowa State University. She was employed by the John Morrell packing plant in Ottumwa, Iowa. She later moved to Lovington, Illinois, and worked for a contractor during the construction of the USI Chemical Plant in Tuscola, Illinois.

During that time, she met her husband, Earl Olan Hamilton. They were married in Arthur, Illinois, on July 2, 1954. He preceded her in death sixty-six years after their wedding. They lived in Atwood, Illinois for most of their lives. They had two daughters, Linda (Tom) Kowal of Denver, Colorado and Barbara Stiehl of Urbana, Illinois, Her son-in-law, Robert Stiehl, preceded her in death.

Mrs. Hamilton has four granddaughters: Janelle (Issac) Nelson-Gardner, Jessica Kowal, Emily Stiehl (Brian Ziebart), and Melanie (David) Rosin. She has five great-grandchildren: Beckett Nelson-Gardner, Lydia Nelson-Gardner, Zachary Rosin, Theodore Ziebart, and Sophie Ziebart; and several nieces and nephews.

Mrs. Hamilton enjoyed gardening and shared much of what she grew with family, friends, and neighbors. She was a talented seamstress and enjoyed knitting and crocheting.

She was a member of the Atwood American Legion Auxiliary Unit #440.

Visitation will be held at the Hilligoss Shrader Funeral Home, 66 E US Highway 36, Atwood, IL 61913, on Saturday, January 17, 2026, at 10 a.m. Funeral Services will be held at 11 a.m. following the visitation. Interment will follow at the Mackville Cemetery, 1488 E 100 N Rd., Atwood, IL 61913.

Memorials may be sent to Atwood American Legion Auxiliary Unit #440, American Diabetes Foundation, American Heart Association, or Special Olympics-Illinois.

Online condolences may be shared via hilligossshraderfh.com