CMSA Hall of Famer, photographer and graphic designer Sam Hamilton died Jan. 22 due to complications from her over five-year battle with metastatic triple negative breast cancer. She was 52.
Hamilton was born March 23, 1972, in Korat, Thailand and spent her first 12 years there. She emigrated with her family to Seneca, Illinois in 1984; she attended Seneca Grade School and was a part of the 1986 Illinois state championship eighth-grade basketball team. She graduated from Seneca High School in 1991. In her free time, Hamilton also drew and painted portraits.
She became a nanny after high school, then served in the Army National Guard from 1993-1996. Hamilton was honorably discharged with the rank of an E-4 Specialist.
Hamilton worked as a digital production artist at National Graphx and Imaging from 1997-2013. Among her accomplishments were prepress editing and wide format print operation, producing graphic prints for a variety of clients. She also did graphic design and art composition, imagery retouching and equipment maintenance.
From 2014-2015, Hamilton worked at The Ink Well in Chicago as a prepress technician, graphic designer and production artist. From 2015-2019 she worked at Creative Imports, LLC (Mac Duggal), where she managed a seven-person team. Among her duties for the high-end international fashion designer Mac Duggal were creative strategizing, directing the advertising and production of print and online catalogs and taking photos of models wearing the company’s evening gowns. Additionally, Hamilton took photos at New York City’s fashion week; some of her work was featured in Seventeen Magazine.
In 2018, Hamilton met her now-wife Angie and they immediately fell in love. She said that when she met Angie, she found her “happily ever after.” After Hamilton married Angie in 2019, they moved to Indiana.
Hamilton’s love of sports was evident throughout her life. She especially enjoyed basketball, football and softball. Hamilton originally got involved as a player in team sports in Chicago in 2002. She soon was managing flag football and softball teams, and added dodgeball, basketball and soccer to her roster.
Hamilton was extensively involved the Gay Athletic Association, now the Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association (CMSA). The organization’s commissioners and board, all volunteers, inspired Hamilton to try giving back to her community. She started the first of 12 Pretty Young Thing teams for CMSA in 2006, and founded the Dodge Girl Chicago dodgeball league in 2007, the Saturday women’s basketball league in 2010 and the women’s-only soccer league in 2010.
Additionally, in 2011 Hamilton hosted the first annual CMSA Women’s Social at Joe’s Bar on Weed Street and coordinated the family day at a Chicago Sky game. She also hosted the CMSA Women’s Social at Joe’s Bar in 2012 and 2013. Hamilton was the chief coordinator of the CMSA float entry called the Freedom Bus in Chicago’s Pride Parade in 2010.
Among her sports honors were the Angie Oldham Memorial Award in 2009 for women’s flag football, CMSA female athlete of the year in 2010, and a 2012 induction into the CMSA Hall of Fame.
Nearly everyone who knew Hamilton spoke about her amazing cooking skills, especially her stir-fry recipe. She often hosted parties with a special emphasis on fun and playing games for trophies.
She is survived by her wife, Angie; mother Toy Hamilton and stepfather Gary Hamilton; stepson Nori and his wife, Nicole; nephew Logan Hamilton; mother-in-law Cheryl; and countless chosen family members and friends. She was preceded in death by her brother, Jonathan Hamilton.
Her wife Angie said, “Sam was the love of my life. I knew it from the moment we met. Her love and warmth and incredible beaming smile captured me and from that moment on I had never felt so loved. She was my fierce defender, and above all taught me how to be a better person and to love myself.
“We shared so many precious times working on our barn dominium and bar. She was so happy working on these projects where she got to use her incredible creativity and engineering mind. Even through her chemo treatments, she was strong and determined to keep working on her projects. From installing all the electrical wiring in the barn, to refinishing a pool table and building a bar that would put most bars to shame. And if anyone has seen her karaoke set up, it is amazing. All this so she could create ‘her oasis,’ where friends and family could gather and share the love she had for people. We have such great memories of birthday parties, Labor Day weekends, Halloween, Friendsgiving, wedding receptions and graduations. Seeing other people’s joy is what made Sam truly happy.
“Sam insisted on us building a loft where I could have a nice office and a patio door to look out from our deck outside, where we could sit and enjoy coffee breaks, or view a beautiful sunset at the end of our day. In the end, she wanted all of this for me and actually had to push me to spend the money to have it built. But she knew her time was limited and wanted to set me up before she left.
“Sam also loved her stepson Nori and was very proud of his accomplishments and his marriage to his wife Nicole. She was excited that Nori had started his life and was looking forward to celebrating their wedding reception this summer in our barn. Sam also loved her pets Trouble, Milo and Jack, and spoiled them immensely.
“If I could say anything to her right now, I would say, ‘I feel so loved, Sam. I will forever feel grateful that God brought you into my life, and even though it was a short time, you gave me enough love to continue through until the day we meet again. You taught me how to be a better partner, mother, daughter and friend. I will continue your legacy of making people feel loved. Sam, every sunset off our deck, every time I hear our special songs, every new experience without you, or old memory that breaks the silence of longing for you, I will always remember how much you loved me. And I too will love you till my last breath and until the day we are reunited again, when my heart is once again whole. Thank you for the special gifts you gave me and everyone who was fortunate enough to know you.’
“I found a quote on Sam’s Instagram that encompassed who she was. It said, ‘The way you see people is the way you treat them. And the way you treat them is what they become.’ You will forever be in my heart, dear Sammy. Till we meet again my love.”
Longtime friend Lynn Coleman said, “So many people loved Sammy. They have similar but varied stories of their interactions with her. The resounding theme was that she was inclusive. She made people feel like they belonged. Many people can credit Sammy for their friendships and relationships. Her legacy is that she always brought people together. Even in her last months of life, whenever we spoke, she was planning the next event.
“It’s hard to sum up someone’s life in just a few paragraphs, especially when they have played such an important role to you. Sammy was in my life for the past 28 years and she has affected me in so many ways. We’re former girlfriends from back in the day, but we evolved into best friends and confidants. We could count on each other, no matter what. We trusted each other, because we knew each other through and through. That’s so important in this life and it means the world to me that I had that in her.
“We both shared a positive attitude, but she could always shift me if I was bothered by something or someone. She was my lighthouse. She just had a way of spinning things to the positive and you’d walk away feeling lighter about whatever the issue was. Sammy was the most thoughtful and altruistic person that I have ever known. She was motivated to make others feel good. When she would do something good for another, she would often say to me, ‘It’s good karma, Lynny.’ It’s just how she was wired. She was one of the most generous people, often giving the shirt off her back, and yours if she could, to help another. She could easily rope you into helping her and you felt good about it. She was a giver to the very end.
“She was a leader with a heart of gold and a tenaciousness for getting things done. She was a force of nature, with a strong sense of self. She was courageous and fearless, especially when dealing with her cancer. She didn’t let it bring her down. She was tough and compassionate all in the same. And she was very forgiving of people. I am very lucky to have called her my best friend, and I will miss her immensely. I dedicate the song ‘Never Give Up’ by Sia to Sammy. That was how she was built.”
Longtime friend Maureen Sullivan said, “Sammy, was a beautiful soul who served others with deep love and compassion. She will be remembered as a trusted friend who brought us together and gave so much to our community. Sweet Angel RIP, until we meet again.”
Longtime friend and former CMSA president Marcia Hill said, “Sam was instrumental in the growth of women’s sports within CMSA in the early 2000s. She was a difference maker, a one-person welcoming committee. She had suggestions and acted upon them; making our community a better place than when she found it.”
Longtime friend Quinn Heminthavong said, “Sammie and I met in 2009…as she took me under her wings. Sammie and I painted the town red as we became the best of friends and hung out a lot for a solid five years. We had a lot of the same passion for sports [and] photography, and a love of spicy food. What Sammie represented to me was her love for our LGBTQ community and just the love for gathering people together. Whether you were new to the community or an OG … you were welcome. Sammie was a go-getter and spread her love and kindness wherever she goes. She was very unselfish and would be the first to give her the shirt off her back.
“It would take me forever to cover how much she has done for the LGBTQ community and especially for me. But as you can see from all love for Sammie from every platform … it speaks for itself. Sammie was one of a kind. She was like my big sister and had a big impact on the person that I am today. I know she is in a better place and I hope I can spread the love and kindness that she has always taught me. She is an irreplaceable and genuine person. I love you Sammie and until we meet again!”
Longtime friend Lisa Cole said, “Oh Sam, I cannot begin to express how sad I am to hear of your passing. You courageously fought a long, hard battle—always with a positive attitude despite all you were going through. The world is a darker, black and white, place without you, your smile and your talent to reveal all of the amazing color this world has to offer. Thank you for the ray of sunshine you brought to the world and all that you did to support Chicago’s LGBTQ community and the broader sports community (including the Chicago Force). You always seemed to capture the best of us. May you rest in peace, knowing that you’ll always be remembered.”
Fellow CMSA Hall of Fame member Shawn Albritton said, “I met Sam in 2006 and her exuberance and passion for sports and friendships is how I will best remember her. One of my great joys was seeing Sam inducted into the CMSA Hall of Fame for all of her wonderful contributions.”
Longtime friend Jennie said, “From the moment I met Sam we were friends. Her big heart and goofy humor made it impossible to not love her instantly. She will be missed by so many. And no event will ever be documented again like Sam did it! She will forever be my ‘little Asian friend.’”
Longtime friend Susie said, “Sam had the biggest heart. On days when she would be feeling her worst, she was always checking on others and making sure they were okay. I think we all fell in love with her from the first time we met her, always wanting to make sure everyone was having a good time.”
In a Facebook statement friend and photographer colleague Kat Fitzgerald said, “This is who Sammy was. I had been here a couple of years but was still finding my extended family and had broken up with my partner that I moved here with. I shot so many CMSA events for Sammy and also with her. I lost my shirt in a poker game she put together. But no matter what—she went out of her way to help others. I will never forget when she told me I was being honored at a Chicago Sky game. Me? Why not you? And she insisted, and also made sure the ball was signed by all the players. This was like a turning point for me in Chicago. I felt like I had a family for real, and well, Sammy, I will ALWAYS hold you in my heart!”
Celebrations of life will take place in both Chicago and Indiana. Details have yet to be determined.