Hilda Gene Willig St. John died peacefully on August 12, 2020 in Coppell, Texas at age 98. Following a long and full life, she now enjoys the presence of her Savior Jesus and the company of many friends and family members.
Born in Temple, Texas on February 12, 1922, she graduated from Temple High School and continued her education at Temple Junior College. Other than her love of Jesus, Hilda Gene found her greatest joy in her family. While employed by the Lone Star Gas Co. in Waco, Texas, she remarked to a co-worker upon first seeing young engineer Henry Hallam “Hal” St. John that she would marry him. And she did. Hilda Gene and Hal married in September 1942 in Colorado Springs, Colorado where Hal was stationed in the U.S. Army Air Corps. They lived in Colorado before Hal was deployed to the Pacific Theater in 1944. Hilda Gene returned to her hometown of Temple while Hal fought overseas, having given birth to their first child, Hal Willig, in March 1944. In storybook fashion, she and young Hal Willig met Hal upon his return at Temple’s train station on Christmas Eve 1945.
Following the war, Hilda Gene and Hal moved frequently as Hal resumed his career with gas utility companies. While living in San Angelo, Texas in 1950, Hilda Gene gave birth to a daughter, Jean. Other stops included Austin, Abilene, Galveston, Port Neches, Dallas, and Coppell. They also lived in Flagstaff, AZ and Albuquerque, NM as well as Brisbane, Australia.
At each stop of her and Hal’s journey, Hilda Gene remained busy raising children, serving in her church, playing bridge, growing flowers, being involved in PEO, and for much of the 1950s and 60s, preparing to move. Each spring she would admire the bloom of Texas bluebonnets in and around Austin where she and Hal spent many of their later years. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend.
She was predeceased by her husband of 67 years, Henry Hallam St. John, parents Alfred and Thelma Willig, and her son, Hal Willig St. John. She is survived by daughter, Jean, and her husband, Lynn, of Colleyville, TX, daughter-in-law Janice St. John of Albuquerque, NM, grandchildren Lindsay Safran, and her husband, Jason, of Grapevine, TX, Jennifer Terry, and her husband, Josh, of Dallas, TX, Craig Gipson, and his wife, Jessie, of Bend, OR, and Sean St. John of Tempe, AZ. Great-grandchildren include Grant and Blake Safran, Caleb and Haley Terry, and Luke and Zachary Gipson.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made on-line to the Alzheimer’s Association at act.alz.org or mailed to 225 N. Michigan Ave., Floor 17, Chicago, IL. 60601.
A Facebook live-streamed memorial service will be held at the Rolling Oaks Funeral Home in Coppell, TX at 10am, Friday, August 21.
Hilda Gene’s family would like to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to the staff at Christus St. Joseph Village for the care provided to Hilda Gene over the years, especially to the Assisted Living staff that provided her personal care.
We would also like to thank Annie Forne, Elizabeth Nyeme, Gina Young, and Adenike Adenekan for the care and support given over the last 15 months. Hilda Gene’s life was blessed by your compassion as you walked with her through some of the darkest days of her life.
Lastly, the family would like to express appreciation to the residents at St. Joseph Village for their kindness and friendship over the years.
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