Hamilton, Diane Tucci
DELMAR — Diane Tucci Hamilton, of Delmar, passed away on June 22, 2022, after a long battle with cancer. Born in Bethpage, N.Y. on August 3, 1965, she grew up on Long Island, where she was active in church, played flute in the high school band, and enjoyed summer days at Jones Beach.
After graduating from Seaford High School, she attended Syracuse University and received a B.S. degree in Elementary Education in 1987. For several years, Diane taught elementary school in Huntington, N.Y., before moving back to Syracuse to be closer to her fiance. While working as both a preschool teacher and graduate assistant, she continued her education at Syracuse University and earned an M.S. in Reading Education. She married David Hamilton in 1990, and they soon welcomed their daughter Sarah into the world. Always placing her family above all else, Diane put her career on hold to become a full-time mother for the next five years. Her husband’s work led them to the Albany area in 1992, where she remained connected to the teaching field as a private tutor.
However, her most important work began when her daughter’s school was no longer able to provide an appropriate education and planned to bus Sarah to a distant facility. Instead, Diane developed a home instruction program for her daughter that included a fully equipped classroom, field trips, cultural studies, and social activities.
During her ten years as a homeschool teacher, Diane also provided advocacy and consulting services for students with disabilities, was president of the Northern New York Chapter of the Tourette Syndrome Association, and served as a deacon at the Delmar Presbyterian Church.
In 2008, she began work as a research specialist at SUNY Albany, while also attending graduate classes there. She earned an M.S. in Curriculum Development and Instructional Technology in 2014, and received her Ph. D. in Literacy Teaching and Learning in 2016. Over the last ten years, Diane held several positions in instructional design at Open SUNY and SUNY Albany, most reand SUNY Albany, most recently with the Online Teaching and Learning Initiative.
Her career never overshadowed her family, though, and she continued to provide tireless support to her daughter, and often attended train shows with her husband. In her free time, Diane enjoyed long walks at the Five Rivers nature preserve, riding the many local cruise boats, attending country music concerts, and taking day trips to explore the Hudson Valley and surrounding regions.
She is survived by her husband, David Hamilton; her daughter Sarah; brother, Jim Tucci; sister, Kathy Redes; and many extended family members. She was preceded in death by her parents, James and Dorothy Tucci.
A first-generation college student, Diane often focused her career on work that involved supporting nontraditional and disadvantaged students in achieving their goals. She loved the animals that she encountered on walks in the woods with her family, and always appreciated the wild spaces that remain in the region.
No services are planned at this time.
In lieu of flowers, a small donation to a college scholarship fund or a local nonprofit conservation organization would help support these causes that were important to her.