Bobby Dean Hilton, of Atlanta, Georgia, passed away on October 26, 2023 with his wife and daughter at his side after a long battle with prostate cancer. Bob was born in Coeburn, Virginia on July 3, 1934, to the late Bureda Franks Hilton and John Earl Hilton, the oldest of 3 siblings. Both of Bob’s college degrees were from the University of Tennessee. When he was first accepted at the University of Tennessee, he joined the U.T. Marching band, and almost immediately found himself marching in President Eisenhower’s 1953 presidential inaugural parade in Washington, D.C. After two years he left U.T. and joined the U. S. Army, where he was trained to maintain and repair the electrical and instrument systems for army aircraft. He was honorably discharged in 1962 and returned to U.T. where he completed his undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering. He later returned to the University of Tennessee and earned his Master’s degree in a “new” area: computer information systems.
In the early 1970’s, Bob came to Atlanta where he worked in market research for The Coca Cola Company. He later became Manager of Corporate Information Systems. Following his stint at The Coca Cola Company, Bob started his own consulting company followed, in retirement, by a totally different business adventure, Renaissance Restorations, the primary business of which was to restore old cars.
Bob, as his friends can attest, was multi-dimensional in his interests and expertise. He enjoyed woodworking, bike (motorcycle) riding and music (he taught himself to play the guitar). He and his wife, Sally, together enjoyed scuba diving, traveling, hiking and skeet shooting. Giving back to the community involved supporting a number of non-profits including the Georgia Conservancy, and they often traveled on the Conservancy’s service and stewardship trips around the state. For the past decade, bringing the wonders of nature to their own home became a mission. The transformation of their residential landscape included removing the lawn and non-native ornamental plants, eliminating the use of pesticides and herbicides and installing a variety of native plants. Their entire yard is now more sustainable and able to support a rich array of animal and insect life. Of late, Bob had become deeply troubled by the way we humans seem so eager to wage war against each other and against the environment. Still, he was able to appreciate simple acts of kindness by people at home and abroad as well as the great beauty still to be found in nature. More than anything, he adored his family: his wife Sally and his children: daughter DeAnna and son Dean.
Bob is survived by his wife Sally; his children: daughter, DeAnna Hilton Jackson (Bill), son Dean Hilton and grandchildren, Kathleen Jackson Wolfinger (Nathan), Kevin Hilton (Elizabeth) and Elena Hilton. He is also survived by his sister, Nancy Hilton Gibson, his brothers, John Earl Hilton, Jr. (Martha) and Ronnie Mac Hilton (Kylene) and nieces, Nancy Kate and Robin and nephews, Kyle, Marty, Taylor and Matthew.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to CARE or the Georgia Conservancy.
A Celebration of Life gathering for friends and family will be held at the H. M. Patterson & Son Oglethorpe Hill, Saturday, November 11, 2023, 1:30 – 3:30.
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