Hilary Ann Breen

Hilary Park Breen was born in England in 1934 and spent her early years in Leigh-on-Sea at the mouth of the River Thames, where her mother’s family had lived for generations. With the outbreak of World War II and Germany’s invasion of Poland in 1939, her father, Horace Park—who worked for the British Trading Company in Nigeria for 30 years—moved Hilary and her mother inland to northeast London for safety.

Hilary’s childhood was shaped by the realities of wartime England. On the night the London Blitz began, fires from the docks and East London were visible from their home. She attended school during the day in a tunnel beneath a soccer field and spent nights in a garden dugout, listening for the scream of incoming bombs. After a brief evacuation to the West Country, the family returned to the east coast, where air raid sirens wailed nightly and the sky darkened with bombers flying at cloud level. She narrowly escaped tragedy when her school was destroyed by a bomb just thirty minutes after students had been dismissed for the day. Later came the terrifying “doodle bugs,” with their rattling engines and flaming tails, followed by German rocket attacks.

After the war, Hilary continued her education at boarding schools, spending holidays with her cousins, Robin and Martyn Lucking, while her mother joined her father in Nigeria. A gifted pianist, she completed eight piano examinations and qualified to sit for entrance exams at the Royal College of Music in London. She chose instead to attend business college, though music remained a lifelong joy. She also enjoyed playing tennis well into her seventies, stopping only at age 76 after a rotator cuff injury.

While working as an administrative assistant at the Royal College of Surgeons in London, Hilary met John Breen. They were married three years later. Inspired by John’s religious devotion, Hilary entered the Catholic Church, and his intellectual curiosity opened many doors for her to explore and appreciate the world around her.

The couple emigrated to the United States so John could continue his education in academic surgery. After twelve years in Minneapolis, they moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where John opened a surgical practice in 1980. Hilary worked alongside him, managing the front office until his retirement in 1997. As parishioners of Assumption Catholic Church, Hilary was an active member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society for 17 years, faithfully keeping the church’s food pantry stocked and ready to serve those in need.

John and Hilary shared nearly 60 years of a happy and devoted marriage until John’s death in 2021. They were blessed with two loving children, Matthew (Kim) and Susan (Joey), and nine grandchildren who brought them great joy: Julia, Mary, Michael, Johnny, and Sarah Breen, and Jacob, Conor, Cade, and Luke Scanlon.

Hilary will be remembered for her resilience, generosity, faith, love of music, and deep devotion to her family.

Visitation will be held on February 7, 2026, at 9:00 am at Assumption Catholic Church, located at 2403 Atlantic Blvd, Jacksonville, Florida, 32207. Following the visitation, a Rosary will take place at 9:30 am at the same location. The Funeral Service will begin at 10:00 am at Assumption Catholic Church.

The Committal Service will be held at Saint Joseph Cemetery, located on Old St Augustine Rd, Jacksonville, FL, 32258, on February 7, 2026.

To view the service through livestream, please follow one of the links below:

https://www.youtube.com/live/PLsL-85R2X8

https://www.youtube.com/live/_TUG4Ipu3w4