Michael "Ol Hilly" Hillenburg

Ol Hilly is no more, he has played his last note, he has struck his final G chord, he has packed up his gear, coiled his last cable, taken his bow, left the building, got in the van, called it a night, and gone off to teach the Great God of Music in the sky a thing or two about open chords. Hilly graduated from Harlem High School in 1988 along with his lifelong friends and eventual band members. Together they were introduced to the world as "The Pimps". They made music that gave them a long and satisfying career for close to three decades. When Hilly wasn't playing with the various bands that he was a member of, he was teaching his gift of music to the future generations at Rock and Roll Institute of Rockford. Hilly was a wonderful music teacher. Hundreds of kids learned from him, and every one of the students got the same Ol Hilly; patient, supportive, kind, engaged, funny, and loving. Hilly was truly cherished, whether it was by the students he taught, his bandmates, or his friends and family; he made all of them feel special in only the ways that Ol Hilly could.

Hilly is survived by his son, Devan (Emma) Carlson; grandchildren, Elijah, Jordan “Jojo”, and Oliver; siblings, Donna (Steven) Moore, Sharon (Scott) Schweighauser, and James R. Hillenburg Jr.; nieces and nephew, Amanda (Jason) Huber, Andrea Hamilton, Taylor Schweighauser, and Garrett (Alyssa) Schweighauser; great nephews and niece, Grayson Hamilton, Xavier Huber, and Alexandria Huber; La Familia Band Members, Stu, Tony, Dave, and Todd; girlfriend, Stephanie Stone; musical colleague, John Jones. He was preceded in death by his parents, James R. Sr. and Iva B. Hillenburg.

A Private Celebration of Life will be held on November 29, 2026.

The Rock and Roll Institute of Rockford will be hosting their Winter Concert, a ticketed event in The Live Room at the Hard Rock Casino on January 2, 2027 with doors opening at 5pm; during the show there will be a Tribute in Honor of Hilly. Here is the link to purchase tickets (https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/randri-winter-concert-celebrating-hillys-life-and-legacy). A portion of the ticket sales will go to The Ol Hilly Scholarship Endowment fund in honor of Hilly.