A 1954 graduate of St. Teresa Academy in East St. Louis, IL, Pat was a retired librarian/archivist at McLean County Museum of History in Bloomington, IL. She was named Archivist/Librarian of the Year by the Illinois Association of Museums in 1999. She was also the former director of Pontiac Public Library in Pontiac, IL.
Mrs. Hamilton was a member of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Belleville, IL. She had been an active member of the Belleville Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the St. Clair County Women’s Club, and the St. Clair County Genealogical Society.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Francis T. and Katherine, nee Patterson, Fields; and aunts and uncles.
Surviving are her brother and sister-in-law, Thomas and Linda Fields of Belleville, IL;
a nephew, Brian (Jennifer) Fields of O’Fallon, IL;
a niece, Stephanie (Cal) Likins of Fairview Heights, IL;
a great-nephew, Sam Fields;
two cousins, Charlotte Barger and Carol Keeley;
and Charles Hamilton, whom she had married and divorced.
Memorials may be made to the Belleville Public Library or to Hospice of Southern Illinois. Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.rennerfh.com.
Visitation: Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 3, 2016, at George Renner & Sons Funeral Home, Belleville, IL, and from 10 to 11 a.m. Friday, March 4, 2016, at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, Belleville, IL.
Funeral: A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Friday, March 4, at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church with Father Matthew Elie officiating. Burial will follow at Mount Carmel Catholic Cemetery, Belleville, IL.
Condolences Left For Patricia Hamilton
Please accept my condolences. May the Father of tender mercies and the God of comfort who comforts us in all our trials (2 Corinthians 1 : 3&4 ) also be comforting to you during this time.
S Merriwether , Flint, Mi, 48503
Pat and I were good friends at St. Teresa Academy and St. Louis University. Life sent us on different paths, but I have always had fond memories of her. I admired her quiet, modest, intelligence and her keen sense of humor. She and her family are in my thoughts and prayers and have my deepest sympathy. My husband Franz also wishes to extend his condolences, although he never met her personally, he feels he knows her through my stories about when we were young and carefree.
Joan Marie née Clark Koch, Duesseldorf, Germany, 40667
I remember her and her sense of humor and am sorry for your loss. May her memory be a blessing to each of you!
MaryJane Millner, St. Louis, MO, 63108
So sorry. For losing pat. Have known her since grade school. Peace be with her now
Cobby perez., Collinsville, Illinois, 62234
I am so glad that I was able to spend time with her while she was still coherent. It is such a blessing to know that her suffering has ended. In her Catholic beliefs, I’m sure she is in heaven organizing God’s calendar and library. In my Buddhist beliefs, I know that her suffering brought her to closer to enlightenment and I will pray for her speedy transition into the next life. Perhaps I will have the privilege of meeting her again in my lifetime, and if not, I am blessed with having known her for a while. I have, and will continue, to miss her.
Laura Wheaton, Louisville, KY, 40214
Dear family of Pat Hamilton,
I want to send my sincere condolences to all of you. I worked for many years at the Belleville Public Library and saw the evolution of the Archives under her professional direction. Eventually, I was able to assume her duties as she went on to an outstanding library career. Her dedication to the Library, local history, and genealogy fields will always be evident within the Belleville Public Library Archives from which present and future researchers will benefit and enjoy.
Lou Ann James, Red Bud, IL, 62278
Tom and Linda: I add my sympathy to you and your family at this sad time. I didn’t know Trish well, but I always knew her as a neighbor in East St. I hope you’re soon able to remember Trish in only her healthiest, happiest days. God bless.
Susanne, Belleville, IL, 62226