In Memoriam – Anne Hillman

Anne Sylvia Hillman

July 28, 1929 – September 10, 2020

Anne Sylvia Hillman, 91, died peacefully at her home on Thursday, September 10. Anne was born in Chicago on July 28, 1929 to Herman T. and Gertrude (VanDyke) Mossberg.

Anne graduated from South Bend Riley High School and received a BA in Social Science from DePauw University in 1953, where she was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gama sorority. On June 5, 1954 she married Charles Winchell Hillman and started a family.

A passionate and dedicated supporter of our community throughout her life, Anne supported and served actively on the board of directors of many South Bend organizations including: Hamilton Grove and Haven Hubbard Home, The South Bend Symphony Orchestra, The Snite Museum of Art, Alcohol & Addictions Resource Center (AARC), along with 1st Source Bank. Anne was a long-time parishioner and supporter of Grace United Methodist Church, where she greatly enjoyed teaching Sunday school. She was also a member and past president of The Junior League of South Bend, a Wednesday Club member, and a member of P.E.O. Chapter X. She loved attending the many social events for these and other organizations and marked the beginning of the holiday season with the Snite Museum of Art Annual Dinner.

An avid bridge player, gardener and traveler, Anne loved welcoming friends and family to her home, always with a fresh bouquet of flowers on the table, and regularly invited others to share her enjoyment of the sunsets and tranquility of her beloved Fern Hill cottage on the shores of Lake Michigan or the azure blue of the Caribbean Sea in the Cayman Islands.

Anne’s most cherished legacy resides within the many family members she leaves behind. She is survived by her two sons and daughters-in-law, James and Jill (Flora) Hillman of South Bend; and Tom and Lou Ann (Simms) Hillman of Scottsdale, AZ; two daughters and sons-in-law, Jennifer Hillman and Mitchell Berger of Washington DC; and Helen and Dana Bottcher of Seattle, WA; and nine grandchildren, Matthew, Adam (married to Jana), Conor, Christopher, Clark (married to Mariana Leoni), Leslie and Kristin Hillman, and Daniel and Benjamin Berger. She is preceded in death by her son, Mark Hillman in 2006, and her dear husband Charles in 2012.

A private family Funeral service will be held on Friday, September 18 at Grace United Methodist Church. The service will be available to view online at www.palmerfuneralhomes.com where a link to the service will be available at the bottom of the obituary. A Celebration of Life is planned for next year, with hats, trumpets, flowers and fun: a proper party when it is safe to do so. Anne would want it that way.

Family and friends may leave condolences at www.palmerfuneralhomes.com. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Grace United Methodist Church, Alcohol & Addictions Resource Center (AARC), or the South Bend Civic Theatre.