Richard Alan Hamilton 7/13/1937 - 12/30/2021

Richard Alan Hamilton7/13/1937 - 12/30/2021 Richard "Dick" Hamilton passed away December 30 in the presence of his wife Mary Ann and daughter Mary Beth. Because he suffered from Alzheimer's, an insulting and tragic disease, his death feels both like a relief and a great loss. The disease took away his ability to ski, fish, and play tennis; it also took away his ability to tell stories to family and friends and to connect with anyone he met. What never left him was his kindness and his smile. Dick was born in Hanford, CA in 1937 but spent most of his childhood living in Merced and working at his parents' restaurant, "Ham's Diner," where he learned to create the perfect milkshake and realized that he never wanted to own his own restaurant. It was also during this time that he learned to ski and fell in love with Yosemite. When his parents moved to Los Gatos during his senior year in high school he graduated early to get back to Yosemite. He worked as a ski patroller at Badger Pass by day and worked by night as a pillow-fluffer at the Ahwahnee Hotel. In the summers he led trail crews repairing and creating new trails in the back country of Yosemite. Badger Pass held a collegiate ski race and Dick realized he was as fast as most of the racers. He couldn't get into Stanford or Cal, but he could enroll in Sierra College in Auburn. He competed in slalom, cross country and ski jumping, ultimately competing in the 1959 North American Ski Jumping championships at Squaw Valley. Sierra College is also where he met Auburn hometown girl, Mary Ann Katich. Dick won the heart of Mary Ann's mother, Mary, by always being eager to devour her Croatian home-cooked meals – even if he had already eaten dinner. He won the heart of Mary Ann initially because of his persistence and ultimately because of his authentic goodness. The two were married in 1961, continued college, then moved to Pennsylvania where Dick attended Physical Therapy school at the University of Pennsylvania. They returned to Auburn in 1966 where their two children, Jeff and Mary Beth, were born. Dick opened a physical therapy private practice where he enjoyed healing and rehabilitating his patients. He took care of people because he loved doing it. Often, he would treat patients for free or happily receive a gift of a box of mandarins when insurance would not cover treatments. In 1975 and 1976 he took an opportunity to build a medical building, which he did in the afternoons and weekends while working full time. The building's location next to the hospital and Auburn's growing medical community allowed his practice to thrive and he brought on a partner, James Pogue, to ensure that he had the life-work balance that he craved. His lunch breaks and Thursdays were time for tennis. His weekends were made for skiing. The two months he took off every summer were carved out for family vacations and long road trips in their camper to Dillon Beach, Yosemite, and the east side of the Sierra. Dick was also an inventor, creating the successful Iso-quadron Knee Rehabilitation Machine along with his un-patented "Super Hammy" fishing lures, and his "Hammy Grab Tab" tennis racket grips. For years, he donated his time as an assistant athletic trainer to the Placer High School football team. Dick was instrumental in creating the team's first weight room, soliciting donations and building out the space. He also spent years as President of the Auburn Ski Club, helping grow the mission to serve as many young Foothill skiers as possible. Dick retired in 1999 to spend more time at the family cabin at Donner Lake. Dick was a "super fan," attending all of his daughter's art shows and openings and traveling to watch his son in the Olympics and World Cup tour. He could be seen walking around Auburn or Donner with prized Olympic and US Ski Team jackets, years after the events; and his homes are filled with his daughter's art. Dick loved and shared his passions with his grandchildren; and his super-fanning continued with them through their alpine, cross country and music endeavors. He was blessed to have a devoted partner and wife for 60 years, children who lived nearby, and a group of friends who danced, traveled and ate weekly meals together. Dick loved vacationing in Hawaii but preferred the adventure of traveling in Europe where he usually drove a rental car to ensure he and Mary Ann could be spontaneous. Dick always made sure he learned a bit of the language of each country he visited. When they traveled to Croatia to meet Mary Ann's cousins, the joke was that Dick knew more Croatian than Mary Ann. He will be remembered on the tennis court for his wicked serve, his quick reflexes and his maddening trick shots. He will be remembered on Donner Lake for trolling for hours for Mackinaw; his line was he was trying to do his part to remove this non-native species, as he promptly brined the fish, prepping them for the smoker. He will be remembered on the ski hill for his fast skis and secret wax; he took pride in out-gliding the coaches and race team kids. He will be remembered for his photography, which captured the landscapes and people he loved. He will be remembered as a storyteller and a joke-teller, who always had a sparkle in his eyes, a quick wit, and a great sense of humor with a tendency to tease. He will be remembered as a skilled builder who was adamant about not calling for help when he could do it himself. Everyone will remember him as kind, supportive, generous, loving, and present. He was preceded in death by his parents Roy and Edna, his brother Bob, and his sister JoAnn. He is survived by his wife Mary Ann, his son Jeff and his wife Carolyn and their two daughters, Eleanore and Frances; and his daughter Mary Beth and her husband Scott. In his honor, please consider donating to the Auburn Ski Club, where a scholarship will be created to help Foothill youth receive access to the programs ASC provides. A celebration will be held at Auburn Ski Club's Training Center on Donner Summit this summer.