Richard Hileman

Richard Glenn Hileman died March 3, 2004 at Mesquite, Texas. He was 80. "Dick" was born April 17, 1923 at Wayland, Iowa, the son of James Newton Hileman and Ida Ann Despain Hileman. Dick grew up in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. His mother was killed in an automobile accident when he was three. He was raised by his father and his stepmothers. The Hileman family consisted of five children, and Dick was the youngest. His oldest sister, Velda McCleary, survives him. She is 96 years old and lives in Mt. Pleasant. Dick's older brothers, Everett Hileman, Le Dru Hileman, and Virgil Hileman, are all deceased. A 1941 graduate of Mt. Pleasant High School, Dick began classes at Iowa Wesleyan College, also in Mt. Pleasant. His college career was interrupted by his service in the United States Army during World War II, including time in the Philippines. After the war, Dick returned to Iowa Wesleyan College and graduated in 1948. At college, Dick met Margaret Deahl of Centerville, Iowa. They were married May 31, 1947 in Centerville. Dick began his career working for the Sinclair Oil Company. Within a few years, however, he became a lobbyist in the Iowa Legislature and worked in association management for several Iowa industries, including the consumer loan industry, the Iowa Good Roads Association, and the trucking industry. He retired in 1993, and he and Margaret moved to Bella Vista, Arkansas, where they lived for 10 years before moving to Texas last fall. Dick is survived by his wife Margaret, and four children and their families: Rich Hileman and his wife Sara Gaarde of Mount Vernon, Iowa, and their daughter Catherine Hileman; Marion Hileman Bond and her husband Stan of Batavia, Illinois, and their daughters Sarah Bond and Elizabeth Bond Abbott and Elizabeth's husband Chris Abbott; Martye Hileman Womble and her husband David of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and their children Michael and Kristen Womble; and Janice Hileman Houser and her husband Bryan of Forney, Texas, and their daughters Myra, Heather, and Alicia Houser. A memorial service was held in Sunnyvale, Texas, on March 6. A celebration of life will be held on Friday, March 19 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Ashworth Road Baptist Church, 5300 Ashworth Road in West Des Moines, Iowa. Burial will be at a later date at Burge Cemetery in New London, Iowa. A memorial fund has been established in Dick Hileman's name at Iowa Wesleyan College, Alumni Office, 601 N. Main Street, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa 52641.