Joan M Hilton
January 22, 1931 ~ February 17, 2023
Joan Mader Hilton, 92, of Falls Church, Virginia, died on February 17, 2023, after a brief illness.
Joan was born January 22, 1931 to Muriel and Frederick Mader in Miami, Florida. After graduating from Miami High School, she went on to study political science at Duke University. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa before graduating in 1952.
After moving to DC for work, she met junior naval officer Robert P. Hilton, whom she wed in 1955. They had two children, Robert and Wendy, in 1957 and 1958. They moved up and down the East Coast throughout many Navy tours and two overseas assignments in Naples, Italy and Mons, Belgium.
Once Bob retired, they happily remained in their house in Alexandria, Virginia until his death in 2004. Joan moved into the new Goodwin House Bailey's Crossroads (GHBC) building when it opened in 2010. She was active in several committees until her debilitating 2020 stroke, after which she lived in the Health Care Center until her death.
Joan is survived by her children Rob (Lisa) and Wendy, her grandchildren Christopher (Anne) and Colin, and her great-granddaughters Rosalind and Cecily. There will be a memorial service at 1:30 pm March 18 at the chapel inside GHBC with reception immediately to follow. Call Wendy with questions on (703) 927-6240. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the American Heart Association. The online guestbook is available at www.moneyandking.com
Joan was born January 22, 1931 to Muriel and Frederick Mader in Miami, Florida. After graduating from Miami High School, she went on to study political science at Duke University. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa before graduating in 1952.
After moving to DC for work, she met junior naval officer Robert P. Hilton, whom she wed in 1955. They had two children, Robert and Wendy, in 1957 and 1958. They moved up and down the East Coast throughout many Navy tours and two overseas assignments in Naples, Italy and Mons, Belgium.
Once Bob retired, they happily remained in their house in Alexandria, Virginia until his death in 2004. Joan moved into the new Goodwin House Bailey's Crossroads (GHBC) building when it opened in 2010. She was active in several committees until her debilitating 2020 stroke, after which she lived in the Health Care Center until her death.
Joan is survived by her children Rob (Lisa) and Wendy, her grandchildren Christopher (Anne) and Colin, and her great-granddaughters Rosalind and Cecily. There will be a memorial service at 1:30 pm March 18 at the chapel inside GHBC with reception immediately to follow. Call Wendy with questions on (703) 927-6240. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the American Heart Association. The online guestbook is available at www.moneyandking.com
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Joan and Bob met my parents, Jim and Ann when Bob was serving in NATO. When Phoebe and I arrived in the US in March 1988 for a two-year posting with the British Embassy, we were very kindly invited to their home in Alexandria. They kept a much appreciated ‘parental’ eye on us over the 2.5 years that followed. We really enjoyed the times we had together and it was a great pleasure to see them again when we returned to DC in 1995 for a further two years with our two kids, Harry and Rachel (known in those days as ‘Pebbles’).
I travelled over to attend Admiral Bob’s funeral in May 2004 and saw Joan a number of times after that when I was in Washington on business between 2005 and 2015, Joan, in turn, visited us in 2011 and she kindly invited Phoebe to accompany her on a cruise around the Baltic/Norwegian Sea in May 2012.
We would like to express our sincerest condolences to Wendy and Rob, and to Joan’s grandsons, Christopher and Colin, both much loved by Joan.
So sorry for your loss. Thinking of you all at this time.
May God’s peace and comfort surround you all.
Ruth Ann Douglas Cobourg, Ontario