James Hilton

James Hilton, Jr. died peacefully at home on March 4, 2020. He was born in Kingsport, Tennessee on May 9, 1927 to the late James Hilton, Sr and Bertie Maude Fansler Hilton. He was predeceased by his parents, his first wife, Ellen Wade in 2001; his second wife, Hazel in 2017 and his brother, Eugene Hilton.

For 50 + years, he was the owner/operator of Modern Cleaners in Tappahannock. He was always civic minded, caring for his beloved town. He was the last remaining founding member of the Tappahannock Volunteer Rescue Squad and served on the Tappahannock Fire Dept for many years and was one of the captains. For a time, he was a town policeman under Chief Romeo Burton and was the proud owner of Badge #2 for the Town of Tappahannock. He was a U.S. Navy Veteran, serving as a gunner’s mate on the USS Auburn in the Pacific during World War II. He was at the actual raising of the flag of Iwo Jima.

He was an avid sportsman. He loved bird hunting, fishing, bowling and most of all, golf. He loved his annual Labor Day Weekend golfing trips to Shenvalee, in the mountains of Virginia. His favorite days were spent around a picnic table with his family, eating steamed crabs, drinking a cold beer and being with his family. He also had some wonderful times with his best friend, Freddie Barrack, who was, we are sure, waiting for him in heaven with an ice-cold Miller Lite and great golf stories!

He is survived by this daughter, Theresa (Terri) Davis & husband, Reid, of North Myrtle Beach, SC; his son, Jim & wife, Sharon of Wilbraham, MA; his son, Paul & wife, Lisbeth of Gates Mills, OH; & his son, Patrick & wife, Brittany of Chester, VA. Also surviving, his grandchildren, Courtenay, Michael, Ryan, Meagan, Claire, Samantha & Camden; his step-grandchildren, Drew & Justin & his great-grandchildren, Madison, Kahlan, Logan, Miles, Maeve, Gracie & Anne Wesley. Also surviving is his sister-in-law, Regina Anne Beale of Tappahannock. He also is survived by his cousins in the Kingsport, TN area and several nieces & nephews in VA.

The family wants to express their sincere thanks to his caregivers for their loving care of our Dad: Pat Davis, Denise Baxter, Mary Clarke, Maxine Veney & Gracie Ashton. We cannot say enough good about Dr. Anastasia Cleary and her staff. Dad loved you, Dr. Cleary, even when you had to “scold” him for not doing as he should!

Pallbearers will be Bill Watts; his grandsons: Bo Bourret, Camden Hilton, Michael Davis, Miles Applegate and his great-grandson, Logan Davis.

Honorary pallbearers will be Blakely Smith, Richard Peay & Tony Peay.

Visitation will be from 6:00 to 8:00 PM, Sunday, March 8, 2020 at Faulkner Funeral Homes, Marks-Bristow Chapel Tappahannock, VA. Funeral will be held at the funeral home on Monday, March 9, 2020 at 11:00 AM. There will be a reception for family and friends at Roma Ristorante in Tappahannock, following the graveside service. Please come with a smile and a fun story about Dad.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Tappahannock Rescue Squad or to your local Animal Shelter in Dad’s honor & memory. Acknowledgements can be sent to 2901 Nixon Street; North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582.