George Richard (Dick) Hileman passed away peacefully Saturday, November 24, 2018 at the age of 100. He was born to parents Earl and Elsie Hileman on October 17, 1918 in Vancouver, WA. Dick graduated from Riverside Polytechnic High School, CA in 1937. He experienced all the life-changing events such as the Great Depression, WWII and many innovating inventions during his life span.
He met the love of his life, Erma Hoskinson, while camping at Big Bear Lake in California and they were married on August 17, 1940. Dick knew that he wanted to be a farmer since he was four years old. They needed a dryer climate than Vancouver for their turkey business so in 1944 he took Erma and their baby Jim and moved to a farm east of Prosser. Raising food for the war effort, with a flock of 10,000 turkeys, he was deferred from serving in WWII. He felt badly that he never served in the military. Dick farmed that same farm for the rest of his career. It became a dairy while raising his family and was later planted with apple and cherry orchards.
The farm was a wonderful place to raise his children. They experienced a tree house, horses, pets, sledding, a hillside tree swing and endless opportunities for exploration. Dick and Erma provided each of their children with an amazing childhood. Even though he worked hard, he was a fun dad. He kept us laughing with his engaging sense of humor and taught us the fun of competition through card games. He rarely read fiction, but studied philosophy, science, history, and current events his entire life. He loved football and recently surprised us in the hospital when his urgent question was not about his health, but how the Chicago Bears were playing. Blessed with a great memory, he could relate important dates and the prices of all of the farm equipment he had purchased. He was able to slay the competition in “Trivial Pursuit” when he was in his 90’s. He will be remembered as a gifted candy-maker and family storyteller. One of the best lessons he left for everyone was how happy and easy-going he was. He rarely complained and usually left people around him feeling good.
Dick was preceded in death by his wife, Erma Hileman, who passed in 1994; brother, Millard Hileman; son, David Hileman; and two granddaughters, Melissa Hileman and Veronica Lewis. He is survived by son, Jim (Eileen) Hileman of Billings, MT; daughter, Kathy (Don) Lewis of Prosser; son, Dan (Tanja) Hileman of Prosser; eleven grandchildren; and sixteen great grandchildren.
A graveside service will be held on March 30, 2019, 1:00 PM, at the Prosser Cemetery. The Prosser Funeral Home will handle the arrangements.