Why is it that I simply can not comprehend? I will never forget Jesse Hilsabeck when we were all gathered for Christmas when we were all under the age of ten… It had been years since I had last seen him because, well, we had grown up and life had happened…. I was able to meet him in June of this year, while his grandmother was celebrating her life. He greeted me with a warm smile and a huge hug, and then he inquired about my well-being.
It was only lately that he reached out to me to let me know that he was praying for me and my family, but I did not react to his message…. After then, I was informed of this today…. It’s Jesse. When I was attempting to get through each day, I was in a state of complete avoidance, and I really wish that I had taken the time to respond to the situation instead of being in that state.
As you leave this life, you are blessing others with the gift of organ donation, which is a testament to the fact that you have always been so kind and compassionate.
I pray for your children and for all the individuals whose lives you have changed by your actions. In 1952, he received his diploma from Sturgeon Bay High School. In the same year, he tied the knot with Sarah Fifield. He then began his job in the heating industry at Fidler Skilling Coal Yard.
He remained employed there until 1965, when he purchased the business and renamed it Hilsabeck Heating and Oil. He remained dedicated to serving the community until the energy crisis of the 1970s forced him to close his doors and leave the work behind.
The community that Willard served held a warm and affectionate memory of him due to his kind and generous heart as well as his chatty attitude. Following that, he worked for JJ Security at PBI, Bay Shipbuilding as a machinist, and ultimately DeBoer Transportation as an over-the-road truck driver until he retired in the late 1990s.
He worked for all of these companies until he reached the age of retirement. Willard was always happy to share his many stories and experiences with anyone who would listen, and he enjoyed making fun of other people on a regular basis.
For a number of years, he served as a Deacon at the First Baptist Church in Sturgeon Bay, where he was a member. He and his father were instrumental in the construction of the first church, which was located at the intersection of 5th and Georgia. Family members include Jessie Hilsabeck, Renee Gummere, Seth Hilsabeck, Joshua Maccoux, Brittany Maccoux, Cera Hilsabeck, and Jacob Hilsabeck; six great-grandchildren; one brother, Delbert Hilsabeck; and two sisters, Sally Huff and Louise Fifield. In addition to his wife Sarah, who passed away in 2006, Willard was preceded in death by his two brothers, Calvin and David, as well as his sister, Lillian Anderson.
