William Edward Hildreth

It is with deep sorrow and much love that we mourn the passing of William (Bill) Edward Hildreth of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, who passed away with his family by his side Friday, April 25th, 2025, his 70th birthday.

He will be lovingly remembered by his wife of over 43 years, Carla; his children: Melissa Miller (Forrest) and Alex Hildreth (Katie); his grandchildren: Adelyn, Sydney, and Rowan; his brother, Rick Hildreth (Susan Bortel); his sister, Ann Lynch (Kevin); and numerous other family members and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Owen and Beverly Hildreth.

Bill was born in Ottawa, Illinois, in 1955 to Owen and Beverly Hildreth.  With his siblings, Rick and Ann, they moved around to spend some of his childhood in Chesteron, Indiana, and finally settled in Flossmoor, Illinois.  He made fast friends with many, spent Saturdays with his Dad at work, and loved summers at Torch Lake.  Bill met his “lovely bride,” Carla, when he was 17, working at Aurelio’s Pizza in Homewood, Illinois.  They were married in July of 1981.  They had two “pretty great” kids, Melissa and Alex.  He worked hard for his family by being one heck of a truck salesman for over 45 years.  He loved to travel, take the scenic route at any opportunity, and he was the “Rand McNalley” for his family in more ways than one.  He was the holder of millions of interesting facts, a history buff, and was an avid bird watcher and porch sitter.  Bill was a role model of relentless resilience who began his fight with cancer over 13 years ago.  He didn’t meet a person in a room that he couldn’t strike up a conversation with.   Bill loved his family and friends well, and because of this, he was deeply loved and will be dearly missed.

Visitation for Bill will be held Friday May 9th 2025 from 10:00am to 11:30am, at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 700 N. Bloomfield Road, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.  A funeral service will follow the visitation promptly at 11:30am.  A private graveside service will be held at Graceland Cemetery in Chicago.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Bill’s name to the Medical College of Wisconsin- Pancreatic Cancer Research

The family wishes to send a special thank you to the oncology staff and team at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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Derrick Funeral Home is honored to be assisting the Hildreth family.

Medical College of Wisconsin- Pancreatic Cancer Research
Web: https://mcwsupport.mcw.edu/pancreaticcancer?_ga=2.26170426.667803357.1745803279-1754384929.174580327