On May 2, 2026, Gene Elston Hillman, 82, died in the West Chester Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania of "natural causes".
Gene was born October 26, 1943 to Barbara Kelley Hillman and Elston Hillman in another University of Pennsylvania hospital, this one in Philadelphia — a hospital that literally saved his life in the 1980’s, almost 50 years later. Gene’s early years were spent in what was then the “farm country” of Downingtown, where he liked to say his closest playmates were “cows and horses” as well as the three large Collies his parents owned as pets.
When World War II came to an end, the Hillman family moved to the Conestoga area. In partnership with some of Barbara’s family members, the Hillmans purchased the weekly Upper Main Line News and together they published that newspaper through most of the 1950s.
After graduating from Conestoga H.S, and then Lincoln University, Gene joined the fledgling U.S.Peace Corps and, in the early 1960s, was sent to South Korea. While teaching ESL and testing native South Koreans for TB, Gene met and married Kyung Sook. With his Peace Corp commitment ending, the couple moved to Philadelphia’s University City area where Gene studied for a U Penn Masters in Education with a concentration in Statistics.
In the 1970’s, the young Hillmans moved to Annapolis where Gene worked as a statistician for US Naval Academy Admissions Office and their son Geoffrey was born. 1980s, Gene took both a job and residence with Geoffrey at Wallingford, PA’s Pendle Hill Retreat & Conference Center.
After divorcing Kyung Sook around 1980, Gene became a Quaker, helping to found Annapolis Meeting. Towards the late 1980s, Gene was diagnosed with an already metastasized esophageal cancer. After 10 hours of radical surgery, 6 weeks of radiation, and then 18 weeks of chemotherapy in western Chester County, Gene returned to Delaware County, looking for a new full time job while pursuing a Pastoral Counseling Certificate at Neumann College.
In 1991, while at Neumann College, Gene met an associate professor of Communication Arts, Pat Daly, with whom he fell quickly in love, moved in together, and many years later married in 2003. Gene and his wife Pat Daly lived in Brookhaven until they moved to Friends Home in Kennett Square in 2024. Until his death, Gene remained active in Friends’ Meetings.
Surviving Gene are his wife, Pat Daly, his son, Geoffrey, and Geoffrey’s wife, Kim Ye-ji, as well as their three sons, Solomon,10, Vincent,7 and Raphael, 3 and his stepdaughter, Natalie Ireland and Natalie’s spouse, Lynn Scherer.
The “Quaker funeral,” a memorial service to celebrate Gene’s life, will occur in hybrid fashion on Saturday 9/12 between 1 and 4 p.m as follows:
IN PERSON: We will gather at Goshen Friends Meeting, 814 N. West Chester Rd, West Chester, PA 19380. Childcare will be provided.
Please let THALLIDY@GMAIL.COM know if you plan to attend in person. Tina is the cĺerk of Goshen Friends Meeting.
Pat Daly & Tina want to make sure Goshen Meeting is adequately prepared regarding parking spaces, programs, refreshments and the like
VIRTUAL LINK:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83133272687?pwd=5lgx0Wl0Z9x15aFbm95rOrO1rilfq1.1
Internment will be private. In lieu of flowers, please send any donations to: Goshen Friends Meeting, c/o Treasurer Michael Fisher, 814 N. Chester Rd. West Chester PA 19380
PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH OTHER PEOPLE & GROUPS TO WHOM GENE WAS IMPORTANT.
