Michelle Hamilton
Michelle Hamilton of Vian may be England born and raised but after she and her husband fell in love with Oklahoma‚s lakes and hills, they made Sequoyah County their home and she says she is loving the life she has here.
“My husband owns a cabinet business with a friend in Gore but we are now purchasing the business and will be opening it up in Vian soon,” she said.
Hamilton said she and her family left England when she was 18 to move to California because of her father‚s jo...
Michelle Hamilton of Vian may be England born and raised but after she and her husband fell in love with Oklahoma‚s lakes and hills, they made Sequoyah County their home and she says she is loving the life she has here.
“My husband owns a cabinet business with a friend in Gore but we are now purchasing the business and will be opening it up in Vian soon,” she said.
Hamilton said she and her family left England when she was 18 to move to California because of her father‚s job.
“I loved it in England. I loved the schools and everything about it. I‚ve been back to visit a few times. I still have cousins who live there,” she said.
Hamilton works for the Boys & Girls Club in Sallisaw. Her duties include taking care of the children and teaching them and “just making sure they have fun.”
“I love working here. I‚ve just always enjoyed being around children. We try to teach them basic lessons in school work so they don‚t miss out on too much during the summer. We also provide them indoor games and let them go out and play when it‚s not so hot. They really enjoy the water recreation such as going to the Splash Pad or pool,” she said.
Hamilton said after she and her husband, Thomas, moved to Oklahoma, she decided to resume her studies in Early Childhood Development from Oklahoma State University.
“I took college courses in California but I wanted to work on my degree which is why I returned to school,” she said.
She met her husband in California. The couple has three daughters and two grand babies.
“One is 13 months old and the other is seven months old. I get to see the older one because they are closer. The new baby‚s mom is in the military and will soon be moving to Spain,” she said. But Hamilton said she plans to visit Spain once her daughter and family get moved.
“I love Spain. It‚s very beautiful. My dad used to take us there while I was growing up so I‚m looking forward to going there,” she said.
Hamilton said the best part of living where she does is being able to go fishing with her husband.
“I love to fish. I really miss the fish and chips from England. The fish and chips I‚ve had here just don‚t compare,” she said, smiling.
However, Hamilton said she makes some foods from her culture which include her own fish and chips (fries) with ’mushy peas.‚ Those are just mashed peas and for some reason they go so well with fish and chips. “It‚s just something I miss but I‚ve learned to improvise by using frozen peas,” she said.
She also makes a cold dessert, Trifle, which consists of sponge cake, fruit, whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.
Hamilton said her English accent comes out when she makes her phone calls to family in England.
“For the most part, I don‚t have the thick English accent I once had,” she said, smiling.
“I enjoy living here in Sequoyah County. My favorite part about it are the people here. They remind me so much of the people back home,” she said. “The only problem I have here is the humidity!” Just Folks. Just Folks is Your TIMES way of honoring the regular people of Sequoyah County, recognizing their unique talents, personalities, jobs, abilities, etc. Your TIMES appreciates the cooperation of each Just Folks and the public‚s nominations for this feature. If you know of someone you think might be a good story, contact Amie or Lynn at 918-775-4433.
