In Memory of Linda Hamilton: A Tree for Mom
Donation protected
My mom, Linda Hamilton, passed away on Friday, June 26, 2020 after a long battle with kidney and heart failure. She was 63.
Born in Minneapolis on May 26, 1957, she graduated from Richfield High School where she met my dad, John. They soon relocated to Marion, Iowa where they raised their three kids: me and my two brothers, John and Bryan. Mom received her Associated Degree in Sociology and Psychology from a local community college. She loved her family, her flowers, Iowa, Star Trek, teddy bears, hearts, angels, and the color yellow.
My mom made everyday life extraordinary. Minor holidays turned into Cake Events, with a fancy decorated decorated cake we ate together as a family. A humdrum Tuesday could become an adventure when she decided to pick us up in the middle of the school day for a lunch out with her. There would be plenty of time for algebra later. She famously painted a living room wall blue and pink on a whim.
Mom, an avid Star Trek fan from the initial airing of The Original Series (TOS, as Trekkies and Trekkers call it), didn't believe in no-win scenarios. Her favorite Star Trek character was Captain James T. Kirk. In Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan, Kirk explains that he defeated the a training exercise called the Kobayashi Maru, which was intended to determine how Starfleet officers would respond to a no-win scenario, by reprogramming the exercise so that he could win. Kirk explains he doesn't believe in no-win scenarios.
The Kobayashi Maru was a sort of rallying cry in our house. No matter how tough the fight, how much the deck seemed stacked against her or us, she believed that she could find a way to survive and prevail.
She found ways to make sure that my brothers and I had what we needed to be happy and successful, however we defined those things. She supported my love of reading, happily scouring through boxes of paperbacks at garage sales to find copies of Whitman and Thoreau for pennies. She supported my older brother's entrepreneurial ambitions. She fought tirelessly for my little brother, ensuring that he got the support he needed at at school.
My mom loved to garden and spend time in gardens and in nature. She loved to tend to her flowers and plants, an activity that brought her joy and peace. She especially loved collecting interesting tulips. Even if her last days, she wanted to spend as much time as she could outside with her flowers.
Her favorite park was Minnehaha Regional Park. She even enjoyed visiting the park in the middle of the frigid Minnesota winter; she thought the frozen waterfall looked so pretty and striking.
Life was not easy for my mom. She carried a lot of pain, of all kinds, with her throughout her life. Despite her pain, she worked to enrich the world and lives around her, filling them with adventure, beauty, and love.
Please help us remember my mom. We are raising funds for a Memorial Tree to be placed in Minnehaha Regional Park. Additional funds will be split between a gift in her name to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and her final expenses.
Born in Minneapolis on May 26, 1957, she graduated from Richfield High School where she met my dad, John. They soon relocated to Marion, Iowa where they raised their three kids: me and my two brothers, John and Bryan. Mom received her Associated Degree in Sociology and Psychology from a local community college. She loved her family, her flowers, Iowa, Star Trek, teddy bears, hearts, angels, and the color yellow.
My mom made everyday life extraordinary. Minor holidays turned into Cake Events, with a fancy decorated decorated cake we ate together as a family. A humdrum Tuesday could become an adventure when she decided to pick us up in the middle of the school day for a lunch out with her. There would be plenty of time for algebra later. She famously painted a living room wall blue and pink on a whim.
Mom, an avid Star Trek fan from the initial airing of The Original Series (TOS, as Trekkies and Trekkers call it), didn't believe in no-win scenarios. Her favorite Star Trek character was Captain James T. Kirk. In Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan, Kirk explains that he defeated the a training exercise called the Kobayashi Maru, which was intended to determine how Starfleet officers would respond to a no-win scenario, by reprogramming the exercise so that he could win. Kirk explains he doesn't believe in no-win scenarios.
The Kobayashi Maru was a sort of rallying cry in our house. No matter how tough the fight, how much the deck seemed stacked against her or us, she believed that she could find a way to survive and prevail.
She found ways to make sure that my brothers and I had what we needed to be happy and successful, however we defined those things. She supported my love of reading, happily scouring through boxes of paperbacks at garage sales to find copies of Whitman and Thoreau for pennies. She supported my older brother's entrepreneurial ambitions. She fought tirelessly for my little brother, ensuring that he got the support he needed at at school.
My mom loved to garden and spend time in gardens and in nature. She loved to tend to her flowers and plants, an activity that brought her joy and peace. She especially loved collecting interesting tulips. Even if her last days, she wanted to spend as much time as she could outside with her flowers.
Her favorite park was Minnehaha Regional Park. She even enjoyed visiting the park in the middle of the frigid Minnesota winter; she thought the frozen waterfall looked so pretty and striking.
Life was not easy for my mom. She carried a lot of pain, of all kinds, with her throughout her life. Despite her pain, she worked to enrich the world and lives around her, filling them with adventure, beauty, and love.
Please help us remember my mom. We are raising funds for a Memorial Tree to be placed in Minnehaha Regional Park. Additional funds will be split between a gift in her name to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and her final expenses.
Organizer
Christina Deemer
Organizer
Burnsville, MN