Stanley Farris Hamilton

Fountain City, TN

Stanley Hamilton, age 88, passed away Friday, November 14, 2014, after a lengthy illness. Stan was a member of Inskip Baptist Church and a lifelong Fountain City resident. He graduated from Central High School and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He received a boxing and football scholarship to The University of South Carolina where he was a member of Lambdi Chi Fraternity and voted President of his senior class.

Stan is a Tennessee Dept of Transportation retiree where he worked for over 25 years as a Civil Engineer. After graduating college, Stan returned to Knoxville and parlayed his love of boxing and football into a lifelong association with both sports. He was a member of the Knoxville Football Officials Association and officiated high school and college football games throughout the area for more than 40 years. As a boxing official, Stan began officiating local, regional and national Golden Gloves matches and later rose to the pinnacle of the amateur ranks as an Olympic boxing referee and judge. He officiated in the Russian Goodwill Games, three Panamerican games, six Olympic games and visited over 50 foreign countries as an Olympic official and was a key member of AIBA, the International Boxing Officials’ Organization. He was voted by his peers as the #1 amateur official in the world and was on the referee and judges commission for the Seoul, Barcelona and Atlanta Olympic games. He was inducted into the Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, the National Football Foundation and the Golden Gloves Hall of Fame. Stan was well-known and beloved for his impish, anecdotal sense of humor and his charismatic style.

He is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Joyce Long Spraker Hamilton, and children, Stan Hamilton and wife Claudia, of Greer, SC; Denny Hamilton, of Knoxville; and Patti Hamilton Higgins and husband Pat, of Atlanta, GA; three grandchildren, Ashley Downey and husband Brian, of Highlands Ranch, CO; and Andrew Hamilton and Will Hamilton, both of Knoxville; two great grandchildren, Noah and Keely Downey, both of Highlands Ranch, CO; several nieces and nephews; and his beloved cat Hobo. Stan was preceded in death by parents Denver and Ella Hamilton; brother Kelso Hamilton; sister Dixie Loretta Hamilton Moore; and daughter, Cindi Hamilton.

The family will receive friends at Stevens on Monday November 17th from 6-8 pm, followed by a memorial service at 8:00 pm. Graveside services will be at Lynnhurst Cemetery at 10:00 am Tuesday November 18th.

Online Condolences: Stephens Funeral Home