Margaret Elizabeth Hillyard was born November 20th, 1930 in a farm home near Carmi, Illinois to Robert and Martha Hillyard. She grew up in southern Illinois and graduated from Stewardson High School in Stewardson, Illinois in 1949. She attended Fort Wayne Bible College in Fort Wayne, Indiana for two years. In 1954 she and her sister Kathryn and two other young ladies moved to Memphis, Tennessee. She worked for 1ST National Bank, Margaret was an accomplished pianist and played the piano for Youth for Christ services downtown. It was there she met Neal Suddard who played the organ. They were married July 21, 1960. They soon began a gospel music ministry which took them around the world. Neal passed away in 2002, Margaret continued to minister playing piano in churches she attended. She was a faithful member at one time of Bellevue Baptist and Christ Church, she was a member of Calvary Baptist Church the last few years of her life. She was a faithful Christian who loved the Lord, her family and her country. She is now in Heaven with her Savior, Jesus Christ, whom she loved and served faithfully. Her loving presence and prayers will be missed.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Neal Suddard; brother, Virgil Hillyard and a nephew Bobby Moss.
She is survived by a sister, Kathryn and brother-in-law, Dr. William B. Moss as well as several nieces and nephews.
The family will receive friends on Thursday August 13 at Family Funeral Care, 4925 Summer Avenue, Memphis at 6 p.m. Funeral services will be held at 7 p.m. with interment Saturday August 15 at 1 p.m. at West Union Cemetery, Carmi, Illinois.
