William Jerome Hamilton, known to all who loved him as Billy, died at home on Jan. 16, 2026, surrounded by family and the love he so freely gave throughout his life. He was 78 years old, according to an obituary provided by the family.
Throughout his life, Billy dedicated himself to giving to others. All who met him will remember his warm, broad smile, his lively sense of humor, and his ability to see the best in everyone. Billy had the compassion that comes from overcoming difficult times, and the kindness that comes from a genuine belief in the goodness of other people.
Born in Northampton, on Sept. 18, 1947, Billy was the eldest son of Willie and Louisiana (Fortson) Hamilton, who left Mississippi to make a new life in Greenfield, where he grew up. It was there that he met his high school sweetheart, and the love of his life, Suzanne Field.
Beginnings of a rich life
At Greenfield High School, Billy made lifelong friends and developed the love of music that he would carry with him throughout his days. He received the GHS music trophy and served as the chorus president, he played tuba in the school band and string bass in the orchestra, and he performed with the Gamma Psi Sigma Chorale, Western Mass District Chorus, and the Pioneer Valley Symphony Chorus and Orchestra.
Billy also received a National High School Poetry Association Award, served as vice president of the student council, and competed on the track team. Outside of school, Billy found time to play guitar with the Mark Taylor Trio and string bass for the Vy-counts, two popular local bands.
Billy graduated from Greenfield High School in 1965 and became the first in his family to attend college, receiving his associate’s degree in electronics from the University of Hartford in 1968. As he had in high school, Billy showed the breadth and variety of his talent in his working career: he worked as a photographer, a software engineer, a videographer, and as a professional musician.
Music was at the heart of Billy’s being from his school days on; he was a talented musician and an enthusiastic lover of all genres. There was always music playing in the Hamilton household, and love of music is something that he instilled deeply in both of his daughters. Billy brought out the music in all of us; he liked to remind us that “if you can talk, you can sing; if you can walk, you can dance.”
Dedication to family, community
Billy and Sue married in 1969 and shared 56 years of devotion. They lived in Middletown, CT, in Allston, and eventually settled in Arlington, where they lived for 42 years and raised two children. While living in Arlington, Billy gave his time and energy to groups throughout his community, including First Baptist Church, First Parish Unitarian Church, the Arlington Boys and Girls Club, Arlington High School, and Revels Cambridge. In 2006, he left his work as a programmer at Fidelity Investments to join WCCA-TV in Worcester, where he was a videographer, an editor, and a producer of community television. He spent fifteen years at WCCA, sincerely valued the friends he made and the diversity of viewpoints and experiences he encountered there, and often described it as his dream job.
A talented musician, lover of Mount Desert Island
Early in their marriage, Billy and Sue began visiting Mount Desert Island, Maine, and developed a deep love for it. Billy was the very first musician to perform at Geddy’s Pub in Bar Harbor, which would become a local staple for live music. Billy performed as a solo singer and guitarist at Geddy’s for 15 summers, opening for acts including Bonnie Raitt, Nicolette Larson, Livingston Taylor, Lyle Lovett, and Wynton Marsalis, among others. Billy also became lifelong friends with Geddy, the proprietor, as he did with so many people whose lives crossed with his.
In 2021, Billy and Sue retired to Somesville, Maine, turning their weekend and summer retreat into a year-round home, as they had long dreamed of doing. Billy’s life in retirement was full of love: he spent his days reconnecting with old friends, firing Sue’s pottery and doing shows with her, walking the trails with their neighbors on the island, pampering their cat Cleo, and enjoying all that life on Mount Desert had to offer.
Forever missed by many
Billy is survived by his beloved wife, Sue; his brother, Kenny, and sister-in-law Alison; his daughters Sara Rattigan and Elisa Hamilton, and his sons-in-law Richard Rattigan and Bill Unsworth, whom he embraced as his own; and his three grandchildren, Berwyn, Ivy, and Wesley, to whom he was simply their proud and loving “Papa”. Beyond his immediate family, he leaves behind an extended family of relatives and countless friends whose lives were touched by the warmth of his being. He was predeceased by his sister Barbara Hamilton of Greenfield, and Lumberton, NC.
His melody continues
Billy’s legacy lives on in the family he cherished and the countless moments of connection he created with friends and strangers alike. He had a special way of making people feel seen and valued, whether they had known him for a lifetime or had just met him. His love for family and community was evident in everything he did; Billy treated everyone as if they might become lifelong friends, and in doing so, he welcomed all into the ever-growing community of love that surrounded him. He will be remembered always for the joy in his spirit, the kindness in his smile, and the continuing melody of a life well lived.
Per Billy’s wishes, no service will be held. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his honor to Hospice.
