Nina Mae Damery

Nina Mae (Hamilton) Damery, a devoted wife, beloved mother, grandmother & one of the longest living heart transplant recipients of Illinois, 68, of Blue Mound, IL, passed on to be with Jesus on Saturday, September 20, 2014 at Imboden Creek Living Center.

A service to celebrate Nina's life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday (Sept. 25, 2014) at Dawson & Wikoff Funeral Home, Blue Mound. Visitation will be from 4:00-8:00 p.m. on Wednesday and one hour prior to services on Thursday. Burial will be in Hall Cemetery, Blue Mound. Messages of condolence may be sent to the family at www.dawson-wikoff.com.

Nina was born on Nov. 27, 1945 in Taylorville IL, the daughter of James Wilmer Hamilton and Alice Lorine (Ryan) Hamilton. She was a 1963 graduate of Blue Mound High School where she met the love of her life, William "Bill" H. Damery. Married August 1, 1965, together they celebrated 48 years of marriage and welcomed to the world four loving and devoted children: Brad, Michelle, Rhonda and Karen. Nina was not only the CEO of the Damery household but also worked for the Blu-Mo Caf as a waitress, and then later for the Blue Mound-Boody School District for many years as a Lunchroom & Playground Supervisor. On April 7, 1993, Nina underwent a successful heart transplant at Loyola University Medical Center, that blessed her with 21 years of life, allowing her to watch her children start their own families, blessing her with the best title of all, "Grandma".

She truly lived for her grandkids, and traveled thousands of miles over the years to witness births, celebrate birthdays & holidays, watch plays, concerts & sporting events, and anything else that would let her cheer them on and be their #1 Fan. A woman of many talents, she was most admired for her cooking and flower gardening.

She was raised a 2nd generation member of the First Christian Church in Blue Mound, whose faith and values centered around her family. She loved her family dearly, found tremendous happiness in spoiling her grandkids and never missed a chance to watch a cooking show or find a new recipe in a cookbook. A talented cook, she loved to spoil her family with home-cooked meals every night of the week, including her famous homemade mashed potatoes, which truly won the hearts of her son-in-laws. She also loved spending quiet moments with her husband, sitting on the front porch watching the birds and waving hellos to her community friends. She loved taking pictures and was known for always having a camera in her hands & was affectionately known as "Flash". She always opened her home up to the friends of her children and was known and loved as a second "mom" to many. She had great pride for her Country and never missed an opportunity to see her daughter, (Michelle) and son-in-law (Brad) in their military uniform.

She loved her animal companions and was known to care for many dogs, cats, birds, guinea pigs, fish, snakes and bunnies through the years.

She is survived by her children: Brad A. Damery of Blue Mound, IL, CDR Michelle L. Damery (Companion, Daniel Freyburger) of New Bern, NC, Rhonda L. (Travis) Nichols of Moweaqua, IL, and Karen L. (Maj Brad) Hickey of Fairchild AFB, WA; grandchildren: Amy Freyburger of New Bern, NC, Alyssa and Dalton Nichols of Moweaqua, IL, Andrew, Austin and Aidan Hickey of Fairchild AFB, WA; step-grandchildren: Christopher Heikkila of Mooresville, NC, Brianna Robinson of Pea Ridge, AR, Brooke (Austin) Martin of Beaufort, SC, Ayden Freyburger of San Diego, CA, and Lauryn Nichols of Angleton, TX; sister: Judy A. Howard of Murrayville, IL; brothers-in-law: Richard (Nancy) Damery of Rochester, IL and Roger (Angie) Damery of Taylorville, IL; many cousins, nieces and nephews and the loving & caring "family" of Imboden Creek Living Center. She was preceded in death by her husband, William "Bill" H. Damery; her parents, James Wilmer Hamilton and Alice Lorine (Ryan) Hamilton; mother-in-law & dear friend, Maxine E. Damery.

Memorials: First Christian Church of Blue Mound & The Casey Williams Foundation (a local, non-profit organization for awareness & financial assistance for tissue & organ donation).

This obituary was written with love by her children.