Arthur Henry Hamlin

Arthur Henry Hamlin

Arthur Henry Hamlin

Funeral services celebrating the life and legacy of well-known educator, coach, citizen, city councilmember, Arthur Henry Hamlin, will be held on Saturday, October 4, 2025 at three o’clock in the evening.  The services will be held at St. Mary Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, with Rev. Diane Nelson Neal serving as officiant.  The interment will follow in H. V. Adams Cemetery. Friday evening from four until six p.m. the public is invited to pay their respects to our beloved “Coach Hamlin” at St. Mary C. M. E. Church. To send flowers, plants, words of condolence, or light a candle, kindly following the directions to your left.

****As we travel to Coach Hamlin’s final resting place, motorists are urged to turn on their emergency flashers.****

                                                    “A Coach for All Seasons”

When Augustine Morgan and Elmore Hamlin welcomed their last boy child to the family on January 4, 1942, little did they know the impact he would have on their small rural community of Bastrop, Louisiana.  Now, they had Elmore, Jr., Edward, Cleophus, Joel, and Gladys.  Later, Maude Ella would make her appearance, but Arthur, oh, but Arthur would make an impact that legends are made of or written about in books of lore. Arthur made his advent on a Sunday, so the Hamlins did not attend services at Alexander Lawson.

He grew up and attended the public schools of Morehouse Parish.  After graduation from Morehouse High School,  Arthur enrolled at THE Grambling State College and majored in Physical Education. He had a good  friend  from Bastrop, one Joseph Carter, who loved introducing his “homeboys” to the young ladies on campus.  There was this cute little friend of Joseph’s from south Louisiana, Deloris Elaine Scott who Joseph introduced to Arthur. Was he interested? Sure, he was. That introduction blossomed into a beautiful romance. On March 5, 1966, Miss Deloris Elaine Scott became Mrs. Arthur Henry Hamlin in her parents’ front yard in St. Francisville, Louisiana. They were blessed with two children: Eric Wayne and Erica Jeanee.

Arthur was an educator and a coach; a job he loved because he loved young people, especially young men.  He touched their lives through sports by instilling in them the importance of getting an education, and teaching them how to become responsible men. Arthur H. Hamlin was also a civic-minded man.  For over thirty-years he served the citizens as the Alderman representing District E.  Arthur and his family were members of St. Mary C.M.E. church, where he served as a Steward and any other capacity where his help was needed. When he retired from the Morehouse Parish School System, Arthur did not sit idly by as the world continued to move.  He loved working in his yard, making flowers and plants grow and flourish.  The family traveled a bit, but the favorite trips were to Branson, Missouri and St. Francisville to visit Deloris’ family.  One of his greatest achievements was the addition of “The Kitchen.”  The Kitchen” was Arthur’s gift to Deloris where she could entertain, care for her plants during the winter months, and even have community meetings.  After all, he was a city councilman and she was a counselor at Bastrop High, and what better place to have meetings and share some good south Louisiana dishes than “The Kitchen.”

       On Thursday evening, September 25, 2025, as day faded into dusk, Arthur Henry Hamlin sat quietly in his brown leather chair and bade farewell to this world.  Life in his home would go on (he made sure of that), and the children would take care of Deloris (he made sure of that).  But, the community, the city, the state would always remember  “Coach Hamlin.”  The children in the family would remember “The Patriarch,” the man who touched their lives and instilled in them the qualities a man should have.  How did such a small man radiate such power?  Why, “HE LIVED IT!”

Cherishing his memories are his beloved wife: Deloris Elaine, his grateful children, Eric Hamlin and daughter, Erica Simmons, a grandson he and Deloris reared: Zachery Hamlin, grandchildren, Theo Simmons, and Malea Hamlin, a great grandchild, his siblings, Gladys Edwards and Maude Ella Doomus, nieces, nephews, cousins, students, and friends, who will always remember “Coach!”

Thank you, Arthur Henry Hamlin for the lessons you taught, the life you lived!

                                                            Rest!  Rest!  REST!

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Arthur Henry Hamlin, please visit our floral store.