Hamilton, Harold E. was born January 30, 1930 to Thelma and Ransom Hamilton near Ellsworth, Nebraska. He passed away on July 8, 2021, at the age of 91 with his wife Eleanor by his side. Harold grew up on the Hamilton Valley Ranch. As a teenager, Harold was always working with electronics, sometimes being scolded by his mother for leaving projects all around the kitchen. During high school, Harold took electronics classes through the mail. After graduating high school in Gordon, Nebraska, Harold joined the Navy and served his country for three years. During his time in the Navy, Harold was able to further his education in electronics while seeing much of the world. It was common for Harold to be shuttled from ship to ship in the fleet, repairing various electronic devices. He was routinely rewarded by his fellow sailors for fixing items in the ship's kitchens. While in the Navy, Harold had stayed in contact with Eleanor Pifer. They reconnected when he came home, and the two married on February 16, 1957. Harold next enrolled in University of Nebraska in Lincoln where he graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1960. After graduating, Harold took a job at Control Data Minneapolis designing computers for ten years. He next took a job with Memorex for two years while obtaining his Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota. In 1972 Harold founded his own company at the kitchen table of their home in Columbia Heights. He named it Micro Control Company. Harold and Eleanor grew the company into a multimillion-dollar business that currently has 180 employees. Its headquarters is in Fridley MN with a second office in Taiwan. The company designs and manufactures automatic test equipment for the worldwide semi-conductor market. Harold was immensely proud of his workforce in Minnesota and the fact at they were one of the few companies in the nation that exported a majority of their products overseas. Harold was a proud American who took an interest in his state and local community. Harold and Eleanor gave many donations to various educational institutions over his lifetime. In 2005, Harold started the Anoka County Watchdog, and later The Minnesota Watchdog, to speak out against wasteful spending and politicians who did not serve the people. One of his greatest highlights was when President George W. Bush visited Micro Control on June 19, 2003 to tour the facility and recognize the accomplishments of Harold and the employees of the small business. It was a story he never grew tired of telling. In his down time Harold loved to fly. He would often fly to the ranch and visit his family. Harold never forgot his roots and often told stories of his past like riding his childhood horse (Peanuts), playing hockey and ice skating with the neighboring ranch kids on the frozen ponds, and going into town. We will all miss his favorite saying "Whatever." He is survived by his wife and partner Eleanor Hamilton, sisters-in-law Sandra Hamilton Zickefoose and MaryAnn Anderson (Sid), nephews Charlie and Mark Hamilton, nieces Cindy Benson, Melanie Hotz and Cherry Felkins along with many cousins. Harold was preceded in death by his parents Thelma and Ransom Hamilton and his brother Norman Hamilton. A celebration of life will be held at the Pleasant Point Church in Ellsworth, Nebraska on August 14, 2021 at 10:30 am. In lieu of flowers the family asks that you please donate to your favorite charitable organization.

Published on July 25, 2021