Gregory Michael "Greg" Hillman

Gregory Michael "Greg" Hillman, age 47, passed away unexpectedly in Chewelah, Washington on June 24, 2023. Greg was born on April 16, 1976, in Olympia, Washington to Dan and Bev (Trotzer) Hillman.

Raised in Shelton, Greg began attending school at Bordeaux Elementary, before going on to graduate from Shelton High School with the class of 1994. Following his graduation, Greg would begin working towards his bachelor's in Recreation Management at Eastern Washington University. In 1995, he met Kimberly (Budd) Hillman. The two would soon be wed, and they would go on to welcome two children, Maliya in 1998, and Kyler in 2001.

Following the completion of his bachelor's degree, Greg quickly began his career at the Northeast Youth Center, providing a safe environment and much-needed mentorship to youth in the Spokane area. Driven by his passion to be a positive influence, Greg was an invaluable asset to the organization for several years while he worked there. Greg would go on to transition to the prison as a social worker for a time before moving on to Morning Star Boys Ranch, where Greg was once again able to use his positive influence to improve their existing programs and continue to be a positive influence through their residential program. At Morning Star Boys Ranch, he cared for each of the kids as if they were his own and he respected them as his contemporaries.

At each of these jobs, Greg created many personal, long standing friendships with the people worked around, many having maintained contact with him even to this day. Most recently, Greg began working with Adult Protective Services in Spokane as a Social Worker Investigator in 2021 with his close friend, Jason. Here, Greg was not only an extremely valuable asset for the clients in and around Spokane; he was also a beacon of light and joy in the office. His coworkers could never get enough of his playful nature and hilarious sense of humor.

When he wasn't working, Greg was an outdoorsman and a family man, through and through. He was a hunter, he loved to chop wood, and his skills in woodworking far exceeded the level of "hobbyist". He was able to take old fence boards and craft a chair, and a bench he made still sits outside his parent's cabin in Shelton, WA. When his kids were growing up, Greg made sure that his work schedule still included time to coach the kids, from shooting to baseball, football, and wrestling, if the kids were involved in an activity, Greg made sure to be directly involved however possible. His skills as a role model carried over from work to home. He was the neighborhood dad that all of his kid's friends could look up to, and felt comfortable going to for advice and guidance. Greg was extremely proud of the adults Maliya and Kyler became and he highlighted their military service with a patch wall in his office. He also made sure to include a spot for Maliya's husband, Devin, who became an instant second son to Greg. He also cherished the time he spent with his parents and sisters, making sure to travel home to Shelton to visit, laugh, and pull pranks on them whenever possible. They would often joke that his birthday should be officially recognized as "National Prankster Day" in honor of the best prankster anyone ever knew.

Greg is survived by his daughter, Maliya Schwindt; his son, Kyler Hillman; his son-in-law, Devin Schwindt; his parents, Dan and Bev Hillman; his sisters, Julie and Stephanie; several nieces and nephews, as well as a host of family, friends, and family at heart that will forever miss his kind, caring spirit.

Please visit the on-line memorial and sign the guestbook at http://www.danekasfuneralchapel.com. Danekas Funeral Chapel and Crematory is entrusted with Greg's care and cremation.