Lee Hamilton’s wife, Nancy, dies in Bloomington car accident

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August 13, 2012

Lee Hamilton’s wife, Nancy, dies in Bloomington car accident

BY JON BLAU (Bloomington) Herald-Times The News and Tribune Mon Aug 13, 2012, 02:58 PM EDT

BLOOMINGTON — Charlotte Zietlow had just met with Lee and Nancy Hamilton at a social event in Bloomington last Thursday. The former congressman and his wife were starting to settle into their “new life,” the former city council president said, newly born social animals in this city after decades living in Columbus and Washington, D.C.

In talking with Nancy, taking in her brilliant smile, Zietlow had learned how the 82-year-old had taken to painting landscapes and portraits of her children, working with oils and watercolors.

“She was just wonderfully cheerful, a great wife for him, and also led her own life,” Zietlow said. “He was very, very stable, and it’s not easy to hold up a family when one person has to give up so much time to do a job. And it’s no ordinary job; it was serving the people of this country.”

At around 4:15 p.m. Saturday, Nancy Hamilton was doing an everyday task, police said, taking her pet to the veterinarian in the 4500 block of East Third Street, when a tragic accident took her life.

She had turned sharply into the parking spot, and the wheel of the car was turned when she exited the vehicle. Apparently, police said, the Toyota Camry was not shifted into park as Hamilton went to retrieve her pet from the other side of the car. The vehicle rolled backward, striking and running her over.

Hamilton died within hours of the accident, police said. Monroe County Coroner Nicole Meyer said she suffered trauma to the head and chest.

“They were going to have a life together,” Zietlow said. “This is so tragic.”

Lee Hamilton, a representative for Indiana’s 9th District for more than 30 years, joined with Indiana University in 1999 to create its Center on Congress and remains its director. He was also the vice chairman for the 9/11 commission.