GUELPH, ON, April 22, 2013 /CNW/ - William C. Hamilton, a well-known Guelph businessman, past President and CEO of
Homewood and former Partner with
law firm Kearns McKinnon (Miller
Thompson), passed away on Saturday,
April 20, 2013, after a brief struggle with cancer.
A Guelph native, Mr. Hamilton
graduated from the Ontario Agricultural
College in 1955. After earning his law degree from the University of Western Ontario, he practiced at
Kearns McKinnon LLP, specializing in corporate, commercial,
land-use and municipal law. He retired from law in 1994, when he
assumed his role as President and CEO of Homewood Corporation (now Schlegel Health Care
Inc.) which operates Homewood
Health Centre, a nationally renowned mental health and addiction
facility in Guelph, Ontario. Mr.
Hamilton had a long-standing history with Homewood, serving on its Board of Directors
for 22 years before becoming President. His father, William E. Hamilton, also served as Homewood's President from 1956 to 1985.
Mr. Hamilton had a strong commitment to health care. He sat on
the Board of Directors of the Ontario Hospital Association and was
Chair of the Governance Committee. He was a Director of Oakwood
Retirement Communities (now Schlegel Villages), a partially owned
subsidiary of the Homewood Corporation, which was purchased by
Schlegel Health Care Inc., a family owned health care organization,
in 2010. He served as Homewood's
President until he resigned in 2006 to become Chairman of the
Board. When Homewood was purchased
by the Schlegel family, Mr. Hamilton assumed the role of Board
Director with Schlegel Health Care Inc., helping to provide
continuity through the transition.
"I always felt that Bill Hamilton
was Homewood," says
Ron Schlegel, Chairman of Schlegel
Health Care Inc., who succeeded Mr. Hamilton in 2010.
"Bill was a long-time business colleague and friend. He was
well-respected and contributed an immeasurable amount to
Homewood. He will be greatly
missed, and we extend our deepest sympathies to his family and many
friends and colleagues at Homewood."
Visitation will be held Thursday, April
25, from 2-4 p.m. and
7-9 p.m., at Gilchrist Chapel, One
Delhi Street, Guelph,
Ontario. Mr. Hamilton's obituary will be available
tomorrow at www.gilchristchapel.com, and more information will be
available in the obituary.
SOURCE Homewood Corporation