Richard W. Hilton

Dick was born 5-1-1944 in Fresno CA to Edwin and Claudia (Ward) Hilton. His early childhood was spent near Fresno, then they traveled to Washington, where he graduated from W.F.West High School in Chehalis. After graduation, he joined the Air Force and spent an 18 months overseas, in and around Taiwan. During his Air Force stint, he married Lynnette Creamer and they had three daughters, Gina, Teresa, and Aimee during their 10 years of marriage. All three daughters still reside in the Tacoma area. After working at Boeing until a large layoff in 1970, he began work as a conductor/brakeman for the Milwaukee Railroad where he remained until their demise in 1980. During his railroad days, he married Marty J. (Brooks) Hilton in 1975 and in 1980 he started work at Plymouth Poultry Company in Seattle, where he worked for the next 27 years, until his retirement in 2008. During their marriage Dick and Marty raised and raced Thoroughbred horses, enjoyed farming their 10 acre farm, traveled on many great trips with friends to Mexico and the Caribbean, took several 10 day cruises, and traveled the western United States, enjoying friends and family along the way. In the mid 80s, Dick and 5 other hunting friends went together to purchase a trailer (fondly called the "hunting lodge"). in Ephrata, WA where the six of them have had many happy years of duck hunting, pheasant hunting and just plain fun. Dick had always wanted a Harley Davidson motorcycle and in 1998 he fulfilled that dream and rode it all the way to Sturgis, South Dakota with friends. A couple of years later, he traded it in on a Kubota tractor for work around the farm....much to the relief of wife and family!! After 27 years of driving delivery truck for Plymouth, his dream retirement location was close to fishing and hunting and would have no more than one stop light in town. He found that in Eastern Washington, where he and his wife bought property in 2001. After retirement, he built his dream shop and new home and they have resided in the small town of Clayton, WA, north of Spokane since 2012. Dick has loved all of his hunting dogs over the years, but especially his duck hunting dog, a Chesapeake named Pepsi, and his most recent dog, Bailey, a chocolate lab, who will dearly miss her "dad". Dick suffered a sudden and unexpected stroke in April 2013, and after several weeks of rehab, was able to resume life at home and participate in most of his favorite activities, although to a lesser degree than he would wish. With the love and support of great friends, he hunted and did a little fishing and got a couple of trips out to the "hunting lodge". After being diagnosed with cancer in November 2015, he bravely went to chemo treatments and had an amazing can-do attitude up until the chemo quit working in May and he knew his time here on earth was limited. He and his wife traveled back to Tacoma June 6th to see family and old friends, and he was admitted to Franciscan Hospice House on June 13th in Lakewood, where he was constantly surrounded by loved ones until his passing on the morning of June 16th. Dick is survived by wife Marty, his much loved mom Claudia Voss (Jim) of Hermiston, Oregon, two brothers Edward C. (Bud) Tinnerman (Toni) and Edwin Hilton, Jr, both of Auburn, WA, daughters, Teresa R Moe of Puyallup, Gina D. Gordon of Federal Way, Aimee R. Erickson (Eben) of Hoodsport, WA., 5 grandchildren (Breanne, Matthew, Ciara, Olivia and Kegan), two great grandchildren, and extended family and friends. There will be a memorial service at Lakeview Chapel 4606 108th St. SW, Lakewood on Thursday, June 23rd, 2016 at 11am.