Richard Hamilton

Richard D. "Dick" Hamilton, 68, of Lawrence died Tuesday, May 10th at LMH. Visitation will be 6 – 8 pm Friday, May 13th, at Warren-McElwain Funeral Home.  A Memorial Remembrance & Masonic Service will be held there at 7 p.m.  Graveside services for Mr. Hamilton will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, May 14th at Courtland, KS cemetery.

Mr. Hamilton was born in Junction City, KS on May 23, 1942.  He married his high-school sweetheart Susan Van in 1961, with whom he had two daughters.  The family moved to Eudora in 1965, and came to Lawrence in 1969.

Dick opened Excalibur of Westminster Hair Styling salon in 1979.  He loved swapping stories with his many clients and most of all, loved giving the ’perfect cut’.  He always tried to improve upon the last one, and was a firm believer in keeping current with education and attending Hair Shows.  Prior to opening Excalibur, he worked at Hillcrest Barber shop & Southbank.  He had graduated from Wichita School of Barbering in 1965.

Dick was an avid hunter & outdoorsman.  He enjoyed hunting upland game birds, deer, turkey, and even morel mushrooms when hunting season was over.  He was always glad to help others appreciate the sport & develop an interest for wildlife preservation.  To that end, he helped start the Kansas Hunter Safety Program in 1973, and became a Certified Charter Instructor for the program also.

He was a founding member of the Douglas County Quail Unlimited chapter.  Rounding that out, was his membership in Ducks Unlimited.  He often served as a source of information for Mike Pierce (Sports) of the Lawrence Journal World for many years. He was a lifetime member of the NRA.

Dick was a Master Mason in Doric Lodge #83 in Eudora, KS.  He received his 32nd degree status with the Scottish Rite Valley of Salina.  He was a past member of Isis & Abdallah Shrine.

Survivors include Susan (Van) Hamilton of Lawrence, daughters Susan "Susie", and husband Darin Leighty of Omaha, NE;  Natalie Hamilton of Lawrence  and five grandchildren, Tyler, Krista, Amber, Torri, Brett Leighty.