John Whitfield Hillyer

John was born on June 7, 1936 in Evanston, IL, to parents Whitfield and Elinor (nee Thompson) Hillyer.

During John's childhood his heroes were World War II U.S. generals. In 1951 he snapped a picture of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who was visiting Evanston for an event. The picture remained on his wall until the end of his life. John graduated from Evanston Township High School (ETHS) in 1954. He was active on the school newspaper, focusing on sports coverage. As a senior he was manager of the ETHS basketball team.

He went on to major in journalism at the University of Michigan and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1958. He covered sports and was Assistant Sports Editor at the Michigan Daily newspaper. He was a member of the Zeta Psi fraternity.

John was in the army reserve from 1958-1963 including six months of active duty in 1958-59 at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. He was a cook during his basic training.

John began his career as an Associated Press reporter in Springfield, IL in 1958-59. He then was sports editor for the Dekalb Daily Chronicle in Dekalb, IL in 1959-60. From there he joined the sports staff of the Illinois State Journal in Springfield, IL, where he worked from 1960-63. In 1963-65 he was on the sports staff of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

In 1965-74 John worked for the Chicago American (later known as Chicago Today) as a sportswriter and copy editor. From 1969-74 he was the beat writer covering the Chicago White Sox. After Chicago Today folded in 1974 he joined the Chicago Daily News as a sportswriter and copy editor. He was the primary writer covering the White Sox for the first half of 1976 and the Cubs for the first half of 1977.

After the Daily News folded in 1978 John joined the San Francisco Examiner as a sportswriter and copy editor. He covered some of the Oakland A's 1980 season, and from 1981-85 he was the beat writer on the San Francisco Giants. In 1989 he was in the Candlestick Park press box for the Giants-A's World Series when the earthquake struck before Game 3. He was the primary beat writer on the Golden State Warriors from 1978-81 and covered them full time from 1986 until his retirement in 1996.

John was a longtime member of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA).

John was very fortunate to have lived a number of years in retirement. He was finally able to become a fan, cheering on the local teams he had covered. In addition he was able to devote his time to all his favorite things, his dogs, all University of Michigan sports, old movies, film noir, his extensive autograph collection, and most of all music.

A devoted supporter of the arts, John was an annual subscriber to the San Francisco Symphony. Each new season filled him with gratitude. He often remarked how lucky he felt to attend each performance with the first concert of the year bringing a tear to his eye.

He is fondly remembered for his quick wit and sense of humor which remained intact to his final days.

The family would like to thank the members of the Kaiser Palliative Care Unit, and the caregivers at the Frank Residence for the support they gave John and his family.

John is survived by his son Michael of Glenview, IL; son Robert (Jamie) of Tucker, GA; brother Stephen of Chicago, IL; grandchildren Caroline, Vivienne, and Jonathan of Tucker, GA, and longtime companion Charlene Thomas of San Francisco, CA.

A memorial visitation will be held on Friday, July 25, 2025 from 10:00 AM until 1:00 PM at Wm. H. Scott Funeral Home, 1100 Greenleaf Ave, Wilmette, IL 60091. Inurnment will follow at Memorial Park Cemetery, 9900 Gross Point Rd, Skokie, IL 60076 at 2:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Peninsula Humane Society, 1450 Rollins Rd, Burlingame, CA 94010, a charity John contributed to regularly and from whom he adopted two of his dogs.