Tina Renae Hillman

Tina Renae Hillman was an extraordinary woman who was many things to many people. First of which, she was a daughter and sister birthed in Lima, Ohio by her father Isaiah and her mother Willa Amerson on 2 March 1965. Tina was the second oldest of the bunch. Her brother, the intelligent Ike, was the big brother, second youngest was the loving Latreece, and the baby of them all was Demetrius "Demi". After graduating from Nogales High in 1983, she attended Basic Military Training for the Army, where she outran, outmatched, and outperformed just about every Private on that post. Her friends would call her "Agent Orange" for being able to sneak around the barracks without being seen, and in a letter to her sister Latreece, she noted that she ran two miles in thirteen minutes (faster than the current standard for men in the USAF for just one mile). She eventually became a mother to two children Michael "Mikey" (1993) and Cheyanne (1992), who she raised by herself with the aid of her younger brother Demi, who would mess with them like the older brother he wished he were. Tina later put her experience as a mother and hard-working military member to the test by landing a job at the Bellagio, a popular casino in Las Vegas. She was one of the best employees, never missing a day of work despite raising two children. She walked them to school, bused to work, then picked them back up; every day. Tina worked hard and was able to afford a home with her parents in 2006 where they lived until 2011. Cheyanne now gone to college and Mikey leaving for the Basic Military Training, Tina accomplished more than she thought possible. In 2012, she was diagnosed with Metastatic Cancer, the doctors told her she wouldn't live longer than three years but she proved them wrong and was Cancer free in 2014. However, it came back full force and on 16 March 2016, she fought it until her very last breath. Tina was a caring, selfless human being who lived life happily. She loved her family, her friends and herself. She inspired others to do the same with laughter and kindness. Such a legacy outlives any physical accolade and rivals only time itself.