Stanfred (Stan) Leon Hilty was born on December 11, 1935 near Clinton, Missouri to Wesley John Hilty and Hallie Arlene (Ross) Hilty. He had two sisters, Donna and Myrna, and a brother, Ross, who predeceased him in death.
Stan attended New Harmony Elementary School and one year of Clinton High School, after which the demands of the family farm required him to start his business career.
At the age of 18 Stan enlisted in the US Navy, hoping to be assigned to the Seabees, as an interest in building was beginning to take root in him. Instead, he was assigned to the destroyer USS Eversole and was deployed to the Pacific near the end of the Korean War. Although he didn’t receive his first choice of assignment, Stan was very proud of his time aboard, and today a portrait of the Eversole hangs in his office at his home.
Stan returned to Clinton after his service to continue working on the family farm. He married Lovella Smart in 1961, lived on the farm south of Clinton, until the farm was purchased by the US government as a reservoir for the Truman Dam. Stan and Lovella bought and moved with their two young children to a cattle ranch, along Turkey Creek southeast of Warsaw. He decided to process the gravel from the creek for the ranch’s needs, then began selling the aggregates to the public. After purchasing a limestone mine, he founded Hilty Quarries, Inc., with Lovella and his mother Hallie. As the business grew, the company supplied aggregate material to local and state agencies, as well as the many road and bridge relocations associated with the construction of the Truman Dam.
Business relationships established during projects at Truman Reservoir led to work at the Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant in Kansas and the Smithville Dam. By the early 1980’s the business had expanded into grading, decking, paving and heavy construction, fulfilling his early life desire to engage in that line of work. Stan’s strength was her ability to tirelessly pursue his vision.
Stan has been active in industry organizations, including the Missouri Limestone Producers Association as a past president and board member, and on the board of associate general contractors.
In 1990 Stan left his full-time position at Hilty Quarries, Inc., to re-dedicate himself to farming and ranching with his third child, agriculture having been one of his lifelong interests. This also allowed him to spend time with his grandchildren, whom he loved very much.
On January 1, 2000 Stan married Myrna Nonaka, after losing Lovella to cancer in 1998. Stan and Myrna enjoyed many social activities with friends and were often seen together on Wednesday and Friday nights having dinner and swapping stories .
Stan has served on the board of directors of United Missouri Bank, the board of trustees of Clinton United Methodist Church, the Missouri Dam and Reservoir Safety Council, Clinton Elks Lodge, and the Meyer Lake and Hunting and Fishing Club.
He had a lifelong passion for hunting and fishing and took many trips with family and friends throughout North America. In particular, his love of waterfowl hunting has led him to endorse Ducks Unlimited as a state board member and is a permanent sponsor. He was also a certified multi-engine private pilot. He has never met a stranger and his relationships with family, friends and those he has worked with have been his greatest treasure.
Stan passed away on Thursday, January 26, 2023 at Menorah Medical Center in Overland Park, Kansas at the age of 87.
Besides his wife Myrna, three children survive, John Hilty (Kelley), Shawn Hilty (Wendy), and Joe Hilty (Tricia); nephews, Zach, Orren, Connor, Montana, Mason, Macray and Trenton; a granddaughter, Anna; stepchildren, Aaron (Michelle) and Angela Nonaka; step-grandchildren Danielle, Tori, Brenna, Shawn and Brendan; and eight great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 3:00 pm at Clinton United Methodist Church. The family will receive friends from 1-3pm, shortly before the funeral service. Burial will be in Englewood Cemetery. Stan will lie in state from noon to 8pm Wednesday at the Bradley & Hadley Funeral Home, Clinton. The family suggests memorial contributions to Clinton United Methodist Church, and these donations may be left at the funeral home. Condolences can be left online at www.bradleyhadley.com.
