Wilburn D. Hilton
Wilburn D. Hilton died September 30, 2007. His death is a release from the physical limitations of his earthly body and a joyous elevation to his heavenly home. A celebratory memorial service will be held at Ridgecrest Baptist Church on Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 10:00 a.m. A reception will be held in the Fellowship Hall of Ridgecrest Baptist Church immediately following the memorial service.
Wilburn D. Hilton was born March 31, 1914 in Mendenhall, Mississippi. He was the son of Ina Waller and Wilburn D Hilton, Sr. He graduated from Tupelo Military Institute in 1931and Mississippi College in 1935 with a B.S. in Chemistry. He was the business manager of the school newspaper, his first foray into journalism. He continued his study of journalism with a year of post-graduate work at the University of Missouri before moving to West Texas as the owner of the newspapers in Wink and Crane during the oil boom. He sold the papers in 1938 and moved to Greenville as the advertising manager of the Greenville Evening Banner before enlisting in the Navy in May 1942.
During World War II, Wilburn graduated from the Coast Guard Academy as a “90-day wonder” and immediately was assigned to duty as the Executive Officer of LCI-89, the smallest ship to cross the Atlantic under its own power. His ship saw action in the invasions of Sicily, Italy and Normandy, delivering its engineers to Omaha Beach at H-Hour plus 40 minutes.
Before the outbreak of World War II, he met a University of Texas student. He and Mary Ann Collins courted by mail during his service in the Coast Guard in Europe from 1942-1945. They married June 28, 1945, upon his return to the United States, and lived for a short time in Houston until his discharge from the service. In late 1945, they returned to Greenville when Mary Ann’s father invited Wilburn to join him in the family furniture business – Collins Brothers Furniture Company – in Downtown Greenville. The business was later to be renamed Collins-Hilton Furniture Company.
The Hiltons were members of First Baptist Church and are charter members of Ridgecrest Baptist Church where Wilbo taught a Junior Sunday School class and served in many other capacities. He was President of Collins-Hilton Furniture until his retirement in 1978 and for many years was an officer of the Texas Homefurnishings Association. He was a founding member of the Greenville Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees), a member of the Kiwanis Club, President of the Board of Trustees of the Greenville Independent School District, a director of First Federal Savings & Loan and a founder of Colonial Bank.
Retirement was thirty years of playing golf with friend General Robert Williams, building Adirondack patio furniture, wind chimes, and bird houses before graduating to a new career in wood carving. Many friends and relatives treasure the Club Lake Cypress Knee Santas Wilbo carved and painted. Each was unique, including those he lovingly fashioned last year when his eyesight was failing. Roses were a passion for which he developed great expertise. He experienced great pleasure in providing beautiful cut roses and miniatures to family, friends, members of his Sunday School class and total strangers.
Retirement was also an opportunity to spend time with granddaughter, Tiffany, and his grandsons, taking them on trips and teaching Robert, Martin and Dan to hunt. More than anything, Wilbo loved retirement because he shared almost thirty years of doing everything with Mary Ann. They treasured their trips together and often talked of a month-long trip to Greece, the Holy Land, North Africa, England and Scotland and their winter sojourns to Green Valley, Arizona.
He is survived by son W.D. Hilton, Jr. and wife Mary Jean of Greenville; daughter Jennifer Hilton of Dallas; grandson Robert Hilton, wife Amy and sons Parker and Emery of Heath, grandson Martin Hilton, wife Heather, daughter Abby and son William of Longview; grandson Dan Hilton, wife Carrie, son Reed and daughter Cate of Charlotte, NC; granddaughter Tiffany Chambers, husband Darrell and sons Leighton, Makenzie and Obadiah of Williamsburg, KY; and a host of loving members of the Hilton, Carsey and Collins families. He was preceded in death by his wife in 2006, an infant son, William; his parents; and a sister, Mildred.
Pallbearers are grandsons Robert, Martin and Dan Hilton, Joe Manning, Dr. John Hill, Charles Lawrence, Mark Sniveley and Glen Steed. Honorary pallbearers are Darrell Chambers, Jack Finney, Ken Hare and Britt Love.
The family requests that memorials be made to Minority Care International, In care of Ridgecrest Baptist Church, 6801 Wesley Street, Greenville, Texas 75402 or Family Gateway, 2910 Swiss Avenue, Dallas, Texas 74204.
Coker-Mathews Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
