Stephanie Mary Hillman

Stephanie Stella Mary (Sawicki) Hillman
November 13, 1924 – July 15, 2019

Long time South River, NJ resident Stephanie (Stella) Hillman has passed, ending an interesting and long life of 94 years.

Born Stephanie Mary Sawicki in South River in 1924, Stella was the youngest of 4 children born to Stanislav and Victoria Sawicki, originally from Poland. She was a storyteller and would tell tales of her childhood in and around Central New Jersey. Long bicycle excursions, trips to the Jersey Shore, taking boat trips with her siblings and the adventures they shared. Along the way she gathered many nicknames and is also known as Stella, Telka and Susie.

With Depression and War hanging over her childhood, she left school as a teen to go to work. Still, she continued to be an avid reader and lover of poetry, literature, classical music and opera. Many of her stories included working in factories and excursions to New York with her sister to try to get Standing Room Only tickets to shows, sometimes with success! She went to shows often through her lifetime and introduced the arts and culture to her children. Her children and grandchildren developed love of nature and music and poetry and theater from excursions and adventures from the forest and mountains to the seashore.

In 1946 she married Alfred Z Hillman and in 1950 they established Hillman’s Bar which they owned and operated for 35 years. They were married 56 years and together they raised 3 children. Many in South River remember her huge garden on Jackson Street. A tribute to her lifelong learning, she took up organic gardening and nutrition when Al was diagnosed with diabetes so he could stay off insulin as long as possible. Over the years they traveled to Europe and around the United States. She was a devoted fan to Al’s magic and would go to all his performances. After Alfred’s death in 2002, Stella sold the big house on Jackson Street that her father had built and moved to Silver City, New Mexico to live with her son’s family.Lovingly now referred to as “Babci” by her grandchildren and greatgrandchildren, she occupied her days with reading, listening to music, watching old movies, composing the occasional poem and crocheting bedspreads, afghans, decorations, dolls and hats for every child, grandchild and others special to her. To the very end she was known as a joke and storyteller with a tale for every occasion and an occasion for every tale.

She is predeceased by her parents Stanislav and Victoria, her sisters Mary and Laura, her brother Mike, her children Patricia, Barbara and Bruce, and two grandchildren.She is survived by daughter-in-law Victoria J West of Silver City, NM, son-in-law Richard Kirby of Silver City, many loved and cherished children and grandchildren, grandson Joshua Hillman and wife Jerene of Chicago, granddaughter Elizabeth Mart and husband Andrew and three great grandsons of Nassau, Bahamas, grandson Jason West and great grandson Jason Jr. of Silver City and great granddaughter Amber-Krystyn Rachel of Paragould, AR, granddaughter Patricia West andhusbandKing Okiri and great grandsons Cyrus and Elijah of Silver City, granddaughter Rebecca J West of Chicago,  granddaughter Sarah Lyman of Gainesville, FL, granddaughter Dawn Marie Fabian and her husband Mark of Savannah, GA, great granddaughter Samantha Fleming and husband Randall of Savannah, great granddaughter Nicolette Velasquez of Washington, DC, grandson James Lovuolo and his wife Annita, great grandson Luciano “Luca” Lovuolo and great granddaughter Charlotte Lovuolo of Atlanta, GA and 14 nieces and nephews.

Baca’s Funeral Chapel in Silver City NM has handled the arrangements, she specifically requested no services. Her ashes are to return to NJ to be put to rest with her husband at St Mary’s Cemetery in East Brunswick, NJ, family will be notified of the date. She did have two favorite charities, The DAV and St Jude’s Children’s Hospital for anyone who wishes to donate in her memory.
 

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