Official Obituary of
Judith Dianne Hamilton
December 29, 1945 ~ October 28, 2022 (age 76) 76 Years Old
Judith Hamilton Obituary
Judith Dianne Hamilton, “Dianne,” 76 of Soldotna, AK, unexpectedly passed away Friday, October 28 th , 2022.
Dianne was born and raised in Vancouver BC, Canada, but has called Alaska home since 1968.
Dianne was born December 29 th , 1945, daughter of the late Thomas and Grace (Hull) Collishaw.
The family wants all of you to know just how special Dianne was. She was very active in Job’s Daughters
International as Honored Queen and later Worthy Matron in Eastern Star. When she graduated from high
school, she worked at a lumber brokerage firm. Dianne always wanted to see the world and began taking trips
with her friends to various places. She went to the Hawaiian Islands and toured a local sawmill. She impressed
the owner with her vast knowledge, so much so, he offered her a job. She got her green card and work visa,
and moved to Oahu, Hawaii.
In Oahu she met the love of her life, Lawrence “Larry ”E. Hamilton, a young American soldier from Litchfield,
Illinois. Larry could not resist her big brown eyes and for them both, it was love at first sight. They were
engaged after only 2 short weeks and then he was off to war. Shortly after he returned from Vietnam, they
were married on March 25, 1967. They ended up being stationed in Fort Richardson, Alaska. Both Larry and
Dianne fell in love with The Last Frontier, deciding to stay a while and raise their family, until 1977, when they
decided to return to Illinois. After surviving her battle with breast cancer, they packed up the family and
moved back to Alaska in 1982. Dianne, was strong and brave, traveling 3700 miles from Illinois to Alaska with
her two small children, she made the trip enjoyable and something the girls have always remembered. On that
trip just some of the adventures included; Mt Rushmore, Reptile Gardens, and Wall Drug. She also took them
to the 1986 Worlds Fair in Vancouver BC.
Dianne returned to work at Enstar Natural Gas Co. as a Marketing Representative until her retirement in 2001.
She was heavily involved with the Alaska Home Builders Association enjoying her work with all the Building
contractors.
Dianne and Larry both enjoyed the retired life, traveling between Alaska, Arizona, and Illinois. They built an
adorable cabin in the community of Funny River, located in Soldotna, Alaska. They both enjoyed golfing which
led them to work at the Byrd Homestead Golf Course together, while spending their summers enjoying
the midnight sun.
Dianne was a very strong, caring, vibrant, and classy lady who loved to laugh and enjoy listening to Larry’s
many stories around the campfire.
Dianne is survived by her loving husband of 55 years, Larry, her loving daughters Dawn McQuay and Laurie
(Tom) Stoner, beautiful granddaughter Macy, all in Alaska, her beloved brother Raymond Collishaw of Port
Kells Surrey BC, Canada, and several nieces and nephews. Brother & sister in-law Paul and Kris Plopper of
Surprise, AZ.
There are no local services planned at this time.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made in Dianne Hamilton’s name to the Alzheimer’s
Association.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Judith Dianne Hamilton, please visit our floral store.
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