Louis Hillard, MSG US Army (RET.) 87 of Fort Washington, Maryland.

JOURNEY OF LIFE

Louis was born Sunday, July 3, 1932 in Santee, South Carolina.  He was the son of John T. Hillard and Maria Mallard Hillard and was the oldest of seven children.

Louis accepted Jesus Christ at an early age and joined the family church, Providence Baptist Church in Santee, SC.  He left home to join the Army as a teenager in the late 1940's. He married Dorothy Lawrence and out of their union two sons were born, Wayne and Dwayne.

While in the military he served four tours in Korea, one in Vietnam and one in Iran. He had twenty-three years of military service and retired as an E8 Master Sergeant.  During his career, he worked for General Earl Wheeler, Chairman, Joint Chief of Staff, as well as other 3-Star and 4-Star Generals, as an Enlisted Aide.

On April 20, 1971, he married Laura Mae Hammond and out of their union a daughter, Sherri was born.

He was a Scottish Rite Mason earning a 33 ^rd -degree, which is the highest level of Free Masonry.

After retiring in 1974 from Fort Belvoir, VA, Louis became an entrepreneur, owning and operating his tractor trailer.  He was a long distance truck driver, driving coast to coast and loving every minute of it!  Louis adopted the CB radio handle " Man on the Run. " He has been to all 50 states and Canada. After retiring from driving tractor-trailers, he became a car salesman for DARCARS - Plymouth and Dodge receiving several awards and ranked 19 ^th in the nation.

In 1983, he joined Harvey Memorial Baptist Church now called "The Master's Touch Praise Ministries."  Louis was a faithful member until the day he died.

Louis loved watching and attending baseball games. His favorite team was anyone playing against the Washington Nationals because they fired the manager, Dusty Baker.  Louis also enjoyed watching westerns and the Dallas Cowboys.  His favorite pastime involved sitting in his favorite chair, smoking his tobacco pipe and listening to the Blues on WPFW, as well as listening to Gospel Quartets.

Louis' outgoing personality quickly gained him friends of all ages. He loved and cared for his granddaughters and great-grandchildren, as well as his nieces and nephews, some of which affectionately called him " King Louis ."

Suddenly on Sunday, May 31, 2020 at Adventist Healthcare, Fort Washington Medical Center, Fort Washington, Maryland, Louis transitioned to eternal life. He was preceded in death by his wife, Laura Mae Hillard, father, John T. Hillard, mother, Maria Mallard Hillard, two brothers, Richard and John Hillard and two sisters, Geraldine Matthews and Dorothy Seawright.

Louis leaves to cherish loving memories, three children, Wayne Hillard (Angela) of Conway, SC, Dwayne Hillard (Felecia) of Hampton, VA and Sherri Hillard Yates (Joseph) of Brandywine, MD; two granddaughters, Cecily Hillard and Amica Marrow (Sherrard); six great-grandchildren, Andrew Jr., Antanasia, Ashyia, Anthony, Milani, Amira; two sisters, Lou Hilliard of Bowman, SC and Shirley Nelson of Orangeburg, SC and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, relatives and friends to include his long-time best friend, Thermus Baker.

Viewing, 3:00 p.m. until time of Service, 5:00 p.m., Friday, June 12, 2020 in the Chapel of Thornton Funeral Home, P.A., 3439 Livingston Road, Indian Head, Maryland 20640.  Interment, Date and Time to be Scheduled at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.