Visitation and funeral services have been announced for former State Representative Michael “Tuffy” Hamilton.
Hamilton died on Nov. 8 from complications after a heart attack.
Family and friends will gather for a wake on Monday at Broussard's in Beaumont. Those services will be from 5-7 p.m.
Hamilton's funeral will be held Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Broussard's. His interment will be held at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin on November 13.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Julie Rogers Gift of Life Program or the Texas Wounded Warriors Foundation.
Hamilton, a Republican from Mauriceville, represented Texas’ 19th District in the Texas Legislature from 2003-2012. The district was made up of Hardin, Newton and Orange counties.
While in office, he served as Chairman of Licensing and Administrative Procedure and Natural Resources, according to his obituary. During his time in office he served various roles in special disaster response committees and he affected state water funding, local government rights, as well as public education and fiscal responsibility in education funding, his obituary said.
He worked in the food and beverage industry before buying Tuffy’s Eatery in 1990.
It was during his many years of owning the Mauriceville mainstay that he got his nickname that stuck with him throughout his political career.
He owned Tuffy's Eatery for 15 years before selling it after Hurricane Rita in 2005.
Hamilton got back into the restaurant business in 2017 when he opened Hamilton’s Restaurant and Bar in Port Arthur.
He also owns The West Bar & Grill in Beaumont.
In October, Hamilton was in the ICU after suffering a heart attack. Hamilton had triple bypass surgery in 2010, according to our partners at the Beaumont Enterprise.
Hamilton is survived by his wife of 32 years, Terry, and his four children. He was also a grandfather to five grandchildren.
