Ms. Sharmain Hamilton

Sharmain was born on Victoria Street in Belize City, Belize, toShirley Brooks Sr., a seamstress, cook, and housekeeper, andRudolph Hamilton Sr., a painter. She was their second of six children and eldest daughter and sister to Janet, Rudy Jr.,Michael, Anthony, Shirley Jr., Lisa, and Kyshia. In the late1960s, the family emigrated from Belize to New YorkCity and lived in Bed Stuy. She attended New UtrechtHigh School and Hunter College and worked cleaning homes on the Upper East Side and in the women's designer clothing section at Macy's flagship store inHerald Square. In the 1980s, she moved to SouthernCalifornia and had many jobs, including being a caregiver at a convalescent home, an elementary schoolteacher, and a social worker. In the late 2000s, she retired from social work and moved to Chicago, where she lived in the house her children bought her andlooked after her grandchildren.

Sharmain was the proud mother of Rima, Sophia, Danielle, Michael, and dogGodiva; proud auntie of Justian, Relaina, Ramani, Josh, and Emily; and proudest grandmother of Audrey, Elliott, and Clarke and dogs Misty, Reeses,Oreo, Hashbrown, Bacon, and Meiko. Sharmain loved fashion; designingclothes; (ironically) being naked at home; eating chicken gizzards, fried ricefrom her favorite Chinese restaurant in Brooklyn, and Junior's cheesecake;watching old movies on The Movie Channel and TV shows (faves included TheLate Show with Craig Ferguson Franklin & Bash, Golden Girls, and M.A.S.H.);and listening to Rod Stewart, Boy George, and Michael Bolton, among others.Her favorite songs included Bobby Womack's "What You Won't Do for Love,"Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance," and Redbone's "Come and Get YourLove." Her best friend was her former coworker Ileana. Sharmain was an excellent judge of character, quietly hilarious, selfless, incredibly determined, highlydevoted to her family, and had an unmatched ability to get a deal. Her favoritesaying was, appropriately, "Life's a bitch, and then you die."Sharmain/Mom/Grandma/Auntie Sharmain changed the lives of everyoneblessed to know her and will be missed forever.