Dave Hilliard

Dave Hilliard passed away peacefully at his home in North Little Rock on April 7th, 2018. Over the last 20 years, he courageously battled through numerous physical hardships which included heart bypass surgery, the amputations of both legs and finally a broken hip. Through it all, he maintained strong faith in God, and never stopped teaching others about the truth and hope of everlasting life that the Bible holds out for all.
Dave was born on January 28, 1924 in Middlesex, NC and was the second of 5 sons born of Henry & Thelma Hilliard. He was preceded in death by his parents, and his 4 brothers, Dock Hilliard, Henry Hilliard, Jim Hilliard and John Hilliard. He is survived by his 4 children, Dana Hilliard of North Little Rock, David Hilliard (Nancy) of Jacksonville, AR., Donna Villa (Vito) Farmington, AR., and Rachel Tharp (Neal) of Houston, TX. Dave had 6 grandchildren, Joel Villa, Jessica Billingsley, Ben Villa, John David Hilliard, Kyle Hilliard, and Nathan Hilliard, and 7 Great Grandchildren along with Nephews, Thomas Hilliard (Helen) Bob Hilliard, and a niece, Debbie Hall (Gary)
In 1927, Henry & Thelma moved their family from North Carolina to North Little Rock, AR. A few years later, when Dave was a teenager the family move to Benton, AR. It was here that Dave and his brothers learned the meaning of hard work as they worked with their father on his farm.
As a young adult, Dave started his own business, Hilliard Insurance Agency was his primary occupation until late in life when he returned to his roots and began farming the land next to his house alongside friends, David and Teresa Kersey, whom eventually became Dave's caretakers for the last few years of his life. Special thanks go out to them for their love and tireless care.
When Dave was 18 years old, he dedicated his life to God and symbolized that by being baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses on July 7th, 1942. In his early 20's, he pioneered for a number of years and later served as a congregation elder in the North Little Rock congregation. For 74 years he was a faithful and zealous Kingdom Proclaimer. Together with Barbara, his wife of 58 years, they assisted a number of people in reaching the point of dedication.
Dave Loved his family very much and enjoyed having them around him. He is remembered for his kind generosity, but most importantly for his devotion to his God, Jehovah. In his last days, he continued to express his firm belief in the resurrection hope that Jesus spoke of at John 11: 25: "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who exercises faith in me, even though he dies, will come to life"