Hamilton C. Carson, 89, longtime resident of Verona, who was active in many community affairs, died after suffering from cancer on December 29, 2017. Viewing will be at Prout Funeral Home in Verona from 3 to 6 p.m. on Monday, January 1. Friends will also be received at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit, 36 Gould Street in Verona at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan 2, followed by a service at 10:30 a.m. We will proceed to Prospect Hill Cemetery in Caldwell for burial.
Mr. Carson was born in Palmyra, N.J. on September 5, 1928, son of William Carson and Carrie (Forderer). He and his wife Helen are the parents of five children: Robert (Elizabeth; son William), Christopher (Carol; children David, Lydia and Andrew), Cynthia (deceased), Richard and Ellen (Patrick Dillon; son Alexander). The youngest of six, Ham is survived by his older brother William.
Ham was graduated in 1950 from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, where he was an editor on the Targum, and started a career in journalism that ran until his retirement in 1993. He edited several trade magazines for Rodman Publications in Ramsey, N.J., and at the time of his retirement was editorial director for the company.
His family moved to Verona in 1959, where he was active in school affairs, being elected to the Board of Education in the 1970s and serving for several years as president.
In addition, he was active in the Church of the Holy Spirit in Verona, where he held a number of positions including serving on the Vestry, as a lay reader and in the choir.
In recent years he devoted much of his time to serving on the Verona Park Conservancy, serving as co-president with Marv Friedman for two years.
His greatest love was grand opera, which he pursued with his wife at the Metropolitan Opera and during radio performances presented on Saturday afternoons.
He was most proud of serving on the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey‘s board of trustees, and of hiring Bonnie Monte as its artistic director, at which position she continues to serve brilliantly.
Mr. Carson sang with the Verona-Cedar Grove Chorus (now Verona Voices) for 38 years, rarely missing a performance.
Ham often expressed a desire, not entirely in fun, of emulating Giuseppe Verdi, who marched with 12 white horses to his funeral. Ham stated near his death that if 12 horses weren’t available, he would settle for six, as long as the appropriate number of keeners and mourners were in tow.
In lieu of flowers, contributions to the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit, Verona, or the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, in Madison, would be appreciated.
