Robert Leo Hamilton

Robert Leo Hamilton (88) of Crofton, MD/Millsboro, DE peacefully passed away on the morning of September 22, 2023, surrounded by his wife Joan and family after fighting Covid and pneumonia for almost two months.
Robert, fondly known as Bob or Bobby (by his wife Joan) was born in Boston, MA on August 9, 1935, a few minutes after his identical twin brother, Jackie. He grew up in Kingston, MA. He graduated as a physicist from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was recruited by the U.S. Naval Ordinance Ship Research Laboratory in Silver Spring, MD where he was a reliability expert/engineer who worked on U.S. Navy ships and submarines, later transferring to a sister lab of the same name in Annapolis, MD next to the Naval Academy. He worked for the government and as a contractor for the lab for more than 40 years. Bob and Joan lived in Bowie and then Crofton MD from 1961 until 2020 when they moved to their beach house in Millsboro, DE outside of Rehoboth Beach.
Bob is survived by his wife of 63 years Joan Angela Cicero Hamilton. He is also survived by sisters Nancy Shephard, Jayne Darsh (James), and Joanne Bell (Steve) along with many cousins, nieces, and nephews. He is also survived by his sons Christopher (Michael Legg), Patrick (Denny Derr), Carey (Laurie Hamilton), and granddaughters Ashley Hamilton (Corey Campbell) and Alexa Hamilton. He is survived by his sister-in-law Jeannette Cicero Davies Mastromarino and her husband Tony Mastromarino and three God children Kathy Hamilton Hillestad, Lisa Davies Strother and Amelia Calderon-McIntyre.
Bob was preceded in death by his mother, Anna Lillian Clements Hamilton, and siblings – his twin John/Jackie, Jimmy, Charlie, and Pete, and his brothers-in-law James Davies and Norman Shephard.
There's no doubt that Bob saw his most important role to be that of husband and father. His love and dedication to Joan and their sons was beyond measure. For family and friends, he redefined the role of strong and silent to include the words most often associated with him: kind, loving, gentle, sweet, patient, quiet, supportive, soft spoken, and a gentleman. These traits along with his wonderful dry sense of humor made him beloved by all.
He had a lifelong love of reading and history that led to his building intricate and often-times from scratch model airplanes, cars, and ships. In his early adult years, he loved driving and fine tuning sports cars, the Austin Healey being one of special interest. In later years, this passion tilted toward researching and writing about old sailing and navy ships, especially those from his native Massachusetts. He loved the guitar and country music and never stopped trying to hone his skills and learn songs from his past. He loved traveling with Joan, whether on one of their epic weeks-long road trips all over the U.S. and Canada or off on cruises or their big trip to Europe. He was an avid walker and loved to share observations of birds, ducks, flowers and the changing of the seasons along his routes.
A Mass or small service for the immediate family will be held in the future but has not yet been arranged. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or arranging a Mass intention at your local parish. Correspondence can be sent to Joan Hamilton at 34487 Half Shell Pond Road, Millsboro, DE 19966.