Alida M. Hillman's Obituary
Grand Rapids-Alida Maria Hillman, 95, born January 22, 1918 passed away October 25, 2013. She died at Clark Retirement Community under the care of Clark caregivers and Emmanuel Hospice. She was born in Haarlem, Netherlands, the daughter of Henrik and Wilhelmina Cramer. The family had 7 children which included her brothers Bill, John, Fritz and Ben; sisters Joan and Margaret.She lived the first 13 years of her life in the Netherlands before immigrating to London, Ontario in 1931. Her family subsisted by doing other's laundry until eventually starting and growing a successful family business named "The Dutch Laundry". At a young age she left school to work in the family business, eventually starting her own branch of the laundry and marring a co-worker Ernie Briglia in 1938. Ernie and she had two daughters, Rose Marie (1940) and JoAnn (1946). Later Alida met and married Gerry Hillman and eventually moved to the Big Rapids area in 1959. Together they had three sons, David ('53), Richard ('57), and Paul ('59). Richard, being born with Down Syndrome, motivated the couple to join with other parents in the area to start the Mecosta Osceola Association for Retarded Citizens (MOARC) in 1963. At a time when most children were routinely institutionalized, Gerry and Alida were determined to raise their son at home to develop as much independence and self-sufficiency as possible. Later MOARC expanded from a single room school to serve hundreds of disabled children and adults in central Michigan, growing to eventually include a sheltered workshop for children grown into adults. It is now operating as Hope Network West Michigan located in Paris, MI. Throughout the 60's and 70's, the couple ran a residential construction company called "Brookfield Builders" and successfully built over 200 homes and residential units in the Big Rapids area. On July 2nd, 1968 the couple lost their 15 year old son David to a tragic accident. Alida became employed as an aide for physically and mentally handicapped students via the Mecosta Osceola Intermediate School District. During this time she met and worked with some wonderful people, including two who would become dear friends for the remainder of her life, David and Susan Krugge. She continued working in the school system until her retirement at age 75. She began to take care of children in her home and formed several long lasting and special relationships. One of these was with the Doyle Family of Big Rapids caring first for their daughter Jessica and then son Brandon. Caring for these, and many other children, brought great joy to her life. At age 84, she determined it was important to transition her son Richard, who for 48 years she had tirelessly cared for, to a new home and environment. He moved into a house run by the very organization she and her husband had started 40 years earlier. She worked to make his transition safe and successful. At age 87 she decided it was time for her to move into Clark Retirement Community in Grand Rapids and then two years later, to give up the use of her car. Alida always was decisive in her decisions and the way she was going to spend her later years was no exception. She was fully aware of her surroundings and contributed to her own care until just 6 weeks prior to her death. Often her quick wit and repartee made being around her both a joy and a challenge.At age 95, she was preceded in death by most of her friends and nearly all of her siblings. She expressed clearly her desire to go to heaven where she would again be with her brothers, parents, and stepson Larry Hillman and son David who preceded her in death. She leaves behind two daughters; Rosemarie Forbes (London, Ontario) JoAnn Briglia (Greenville), two sons; Richard Hillman (Barryton), and Paul & Carol Hillman (Rockford), plus grandchildren Bruce Forbes, Jennifer Ficociello, Meghan Cooper, Robert Hillman, Cindy Neely, Anne Hillman, Renee Hillman, and Eve Hillman. She had 6 great grandchildren. A celebration of Alida's life and memorial services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, November 16 at St. Paul's Parish in Big Rapids, MI. Lunch will be provided at the church immediately following the ceremony. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made to Special Olympics.
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