Nina Madora Kinghorn Hamilton

head, from whom, due to his death on 3 May 2009, she was briefly separated, for the only

time during their marriage of 69 years. Mother died while in the loving care of her five

daughters in Logan, Utah, of causes incident to a brief final illness. She was happily and

gratefully able to live independently until the last few weeks of her mortal life, in a home

in Twin Falls which she very much cherished and loved.

Nina Madora Kinghorn was born 14 January 1918 to Thomas Brian and Laura Eakle

Kinghorn in Menan, Idaho, the third of four siblings. Her childhood years were spent

in Sugar City, where her father was a station agent and telegrapher for the Union Pacific

Railroad. Mother studied piano beginning at an early age. Many perform music. She

owned it. She became acquainted with our father in her high school years, but was pri-

marily interested in pursuing musical training to become a concert pianist. While she

was engaged in that training in Baltimore, she experienced one of the defining moments

of her life when she decided that a marriage to Lloyd A. Hamilton was more important to

her than the life of a performing artist. Our father, our family, and our community have

been immeasurably blessed by that decision.

'Mother and Dad were married 2 April 1941 in the Salt Lake Temple. For a brief time

before and subsequent to their marriage, Mother sang in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Not long after that, they returned to Sugar City to work in the family sheep business. In

1946 Dad began selling insurance, and in 1955, after two years in Preston, they moved to

Twin Falls, where they established the Lloyd Hamilton Insurance Agency, which they

sold in 1981. For the first few years in Twin Falls, Mother's piano teaching was a major

help to the sustenance of our family, while Dad was getting the insurance business

established. Mother continued teaching for many years, and many have experienced her

saintly influence.

Like our father, Mother always did her utmost to love and serve her family, her fellow

men, and our God. For a time, while all seven children were at home, she baked a

dozen loaves of bread twice a week. Our clothing was always neat, clean, and impec-

cably ironed; our home always nearly spotless. She quietly went about doing good

whenever and wherever she saw a need. Perhaps no one will ever know of all the meals

she took to shut-ins, or families where illness or death had visited. And she always

served faithfully and well in whatever she was asked to do in the church.

She was at Dad's side as the Matron of the Boise Temple, and on missions to the Atlanta

Temple, India, and Sri Lanka. While Dad was as involved as he was in his business, the

community, and his years as a stake president in the church, our home life, due to

Mother's influence, was always a haven of love, peace, and joy. In addition to being the

wonderful mother she was to all of us, she was a superb hostess to some of the most

distinguished leadership of the church who stayed in our home while visiting for stake

conferences. Ezra Taft Benson, Boyd K. Packer, Thomas S Monson, Joseph Fielding

Smith, Spencer W. Kimball, Gordon B. Hinckley, and others experienced her hospitality

and dined at her table.

Both Dad and Mother loved the temples and everything for which they stand. It was a

blessing in their lives when the temple was built in Twin Falls, because their health had

declined to the point where traveling to Boise was difficult. Dad faithfully participated

until his death, and Mother was at the temple regularly, right up to a few days before her

final illness.

The beauty of her music and her life, now stilled from among us, will be sorely missed.

But her exemplary goodness and the memories with which we are blessed will be

eternally treasured.

Paraphrasing one of the great men of our country's history, we would observe, "All we

are or ever hope to be, we owe our angel mother."

Mother was preceded in death by her parents, all her siblings, and her husband.

Survivors include seven children; Sylvia Lynne Brown (Ross), Jeanne Nielson, Barry K.

(Jacque), David L. (Bonnie), Camille Holladay (Lance), Lesli Bucher (Frank) and

Melanie Hamilton (Robyn Gonzalez); 32 grandchildren, and 48 great-grandchildren.

We thank Allen Mortuary in Logan, Utah and White Mortuary for their kindly and caring

service to our Mother. The service, conducted by White Mortuary and under the

direction of Bishop Adam Hodges, will be held at the Twin Falls Stake Center, adjacent

to the Temple on Eastland Drive at 11 :00 A. M. Friday, September 10,2010. Visitation

for family and friends will begin at 9:30 A. M. Interment will be at 1:00 P. M. Saturday,

September 11, at the Sugar City Cemetery. Services are under the direction of White Mortuary,

Chapel by the Park, Twin Falls. Condolences may be left for the family by visiting

www.whitemortuary.com.