James Braden Hilliard

James Braden Hilliard Sr., a pillar of strength, joy and love to his family and friends, peacefully passed away on March 12, 2024 at the age of 90, following a long battle with dementia.  He leaves behind his loving wife of 68 years, Janet LaRue (Hankey); daughter, Cindy Oberlander and her husband Patrick; son, James Jr. and his fiancée Terri.

Jim Sr. was also the loving “Pappap” to grandchildren: Nathan Oberlander, Derek Oberlander and his wife Julia (Hartman), Alison (Oberlander) Bernel and her husband Joseph, Jeromy Hilliard and his wife Deanna, Alyce (Hilliard) Frame and her husband David, David Hilliard and his fiancée Zena Roy; and to his great grandchildren: Kemper and Piper Bernel, Jesse and Aubrey Oberlander, Kennedy Anderson, Killian, Priscilla and Evander Hilliard.

Jim was a “Depression baby,” born on August 24, 1933 at the family home in Buffalo Township, PA., one of 10 children born to Milda Violet Wagner and Thomas Plummer Hilliard. Jim grew up loving cars, both driving them and working on them. Upon joining the Army during the Korean war, he was assigned to the motor pool in Germany and helped keep those Army trucks, half-tracks and jeeps in top running condition.

Returning home to the States after the war, he attended Allegheny Tech which steered him toward the exciting new computer science industry. After he married Janet, his new career managing mainframe computers led them to Connecticut where they lived a charmed family life into retirement. A man of many talents and interests, Jim could, and did, it all – from car repair to home improvement, from square dancing to snowmobiling, from guitar lessons to woodcarving, and much more. Jim was one of a kind.

Pappap, you will always be dearly missed.

Jim was preceded in passing by his parents, Thomas and Milda Hilliard; and his siblings, Elizabeth (Bonner), Earl, Katherine (Delp), Mildred (Smith), William, Dora (Atherton), and Margaret (Toy). He was also preceded in passing by his son James Jr.’s wife, Lucinda (Riley), who was the mother of James Jr.’s children. He is survived his loving wife, Janet; his children, Cindy (Patrick) and James Jr. (fiancée Terri); his grandchildren, and his great grandchildren. He is also survived by his brothers, Richard (Mary) Hilliard and Robert (Cathy) Hilliard.

A Celebration of Jim’s Life will be held 2-7 P.M. SATURDAY March 23rd at the Eagles’ Chase Condos clubhouse, 860 Eagles Chase Drive, Akron OH 44313.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions in Jim’s memory be made to the Alzheimer’s Association to help speed development of a cure for this horrible disease.   

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