Allen Scott Hamilton III

Allen Scott Hamilton III, lovingly known as PuPaw, Uncle Al, and Big Al, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at his home on Saturday September 24th, 2022.

He was born on July 25, 1957 to Susan Jane Thomas and Allen Scott Hamilton Jr, in Louisville, Kentucky. Allen met the love of his life, Melissa Ann Guyton, when they were sophomores at Atherton High School, both graduating in 1975. They married on June 17, 1978 in Louisville.

Allen, the family patriarch, was a natural born leader, a responsibility he gladly embraced his entire life. He was a constant source of calm, strength, and guidance, and because of that, he was admired and respected by nearly everyone he knew.  His calming presence & demeanor, even in the toughest of situations, was one of his greatest qualities. Allen was never quick to anger and didn’t have a mean bone in his body. He was contemplative and intellectual, always yearning to learn and grow in all of the roles he filled. A loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, brother-in-law and uncle, his family was always his highest priority. Allen loved nothing more than gathering and spending time with loved ones. 

Allen was a proud Louisville Cardinal his entire life. He obtained his bachelors degree in Political Science from the University of Louisville in 1979, and eventually earned a Masters in Business Administration from Nova Southeastern University in 1982. 

Allen’s oldest son, Allen Scott Hamilton IV, was born in Louisville in March of 1980. Soon after, the young family relocated to Fort Lauderdale, FL, where their middle child and only daughter, Melissa Leigh was born in January of 1982. After another move to Atlanta in 1985, their youngest son, Joseph Guyton, was born in April of 1986.

Allen made it his life’s mission to provide for his family. He built a successful home building business with his two brothers, Lee and Woody, before transitioning into a successful career building apartments as a project superintendent. He had a brief but treasured relocation to Charlotte, NC from 1999 until returning to Atlanta in 2000. From early 2000 until the time of his death, Allen watched with pride as his children blossomed from the home he and Issa created to building their own homes with spouses and children of their own. 

Following an ankle-replacement surgery in mid-2018, Allen experienced a series of infections and complications.. He suffered through countless treatments and surgeries before ultimately having his right leg amputated just below the knee. Through all of this pain and suffering, he never uttered one word of complaint. Once he was fitted with a prosthetic, he quickly developed a new routine, focused on staying healthy. It was during this time that he became deeply involved in family history and genealogy, especially involving his wife’s family history. He spent countless hours sifting through and digitizing a treasure trove of hand written letters between his father-in-law, J. Leighton Guyton, a WWII veteran, and his various family members. 

Allen had many other passions including music, books, politics, traveling, teaching, and watching the Atlanta Braves. Watching “Bream come home,” in game 7 of the 1992 NLCS with his oldest son Allen was a favorite memory of his. He was an avid Van Morrison and Bruce Springsteen fan.  He first saw Springsteen perform on the Born to Run tour in 1978 in Louisville. He would go on to see multiple shows over the years, including in 2002 on The Rising Tour with his son Joseph, and later on The River tour in 2016 with both of his sons. Of course he most enjoyed the New Kids concert he took his Girl Baby to see in 1990.  

Allen was proud of his affiliation with St. Martin in the Fields Episcopal Church where he held various leadership roles including heading the Education for Ministry program, serving on the Vestry Board, etc.

He loved spending time with his children and grandchildren. He would never miss a ball game or school performance, and never passed up the opportunity to coach a softball team. One of his recent favorite pastimes was meeting his sons Allen and Joseph on weekend afternoons for a beer and conversation at Cherry Street Brewing.

Allen is survived by his loving wife of 44 years, Issa, his children Allen (Lisa), Melissa (Graham) Welsh, Joseph (Kristina), grandsons Conner, Noah, Edison, George, Scotty, Leighton, Grayson, Samuel, granddaughter Hadley, his mother Susan T. Mahan, siblings Susie (Rene), Woody (Lisa), Lee (Martha), Charles (Nikki), Janie (Mason), Caty (Lonnie), sisters-in-law Janice (Greg), Laura (John), and scores of nieces, nephews, friends, and cousins.

Services will be held at 11am on Thursday, September 29, 2022 at St. Martin in the Fields Episcopal Church in Atlanta, GA.  A private burial will be held on Saturday, October 1, 2022 at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, KY for family and invited friends.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Evan Dunbar Foundation.