Obituaries

It is with very heavy hearts that our family announces the passing of Wayne Frank Hilts in the early morning of October 12, 2026. Wayne is survived by his wife Judy, his son Rob, his grandchildren Adrian, Alexis and Julia and Rob’s wife Cornelia. Wayne Hilts was born in Hamilton, Ontario on April 23, 1939, only a few months before the start of World War II. Owing to his overlap with the war years, he developed a keen interest in World War II . This led him to read hundreds of books and watch scores of movies on the global 39-45 conflict. He was also inspired by WW II to build dozens of beautifully crafted models of aircraft that were used during the war. In the 1950s, he developed a great love of classic cars, which culminated in 1962 with the purchase of a yellow 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air 2-door sedan.

From October 1962 to August 1964, Wayne, Judy and Rob lived in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Hilts family then moved back to Hamilton, Ontario in August 1964 where they stayed until the first week of January 1970.

In the second week of January 1970, Wayne, Judy and Rob moved from Hamilton, Ontario to Pender Island in British Columbia to manage Otter Cove lodge. The family subsequently relocated to Sidney on Vancouver Island in June 1972. For the next 54 years, Wayne put his energies into constructing a beautiful family home and building a highly successful career with School District 63. Wayne retired from School District 63 in 1999 at the age of 60. In addition to throwing a retirement party for Wayne at the Spitfire Grill, the staff at Greenglade School in Sidney, his last place of work, held a retirement assembly for him in the school gymnasium where he was lauded by students and teachers alike. From 1999 to 2024, Wayne enjoyed an incredibly rich retirement period, which involved numerous excursions around the globe, including trips to Europe, Hawaii, the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand. Wayne’s final voyage was a truly memorable 10 day Alaskan cruise with his son Rob that took place in September 2024.

Wayne was also an exceptionally talented carpenter. Working with his skilled hands and a highly focused mind, he built a beautiful recreation room and an incredibly well organized, aesthetically pleasing workshop.

Wayne valiantly fought cancer for 11 months but finally succumbed to this horrible illness on October 12, 2026. Wayne’s only sibling, Douglas Stewart Hilts, died in Washington State in 2023. Wayne made many good friends during his life due to his easy going, affable nature.

He will be dearly missed…