Thomas D. Hilliard – Metropolitan Funeral

Thomas Daverne Hilliard went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, June 8, 2021. Thomas Hilliard was born to Bertha Mosely and William McKinnley Hilliard on January 28, 1943. He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Mildred Hilliard, his brother, Maurice Hilliard (Earlene), children, Margie Godfrey, Angela Mattison (Booker), Laverne Lambers (Tracy), Deidre Byam (Jerome), Brian Brinkley (Ashanti), Maurisa Hilliard, and David Hilliard. He is also survived by 12 grandchildren and 2 great
grandchildren, as well as his niece Yolanda Lucas (Jason) and their son, and a host of relatives and friends.

Daverne, as he was called by family, was a Navy veteran, who retired from the Department of Defense (Norfolk Naval Shipyard) after 41 years of service. He was a decorated and respected employee who received numerous rewards for his dedication to hard work, consistency, and reliability. As a licensed evangelist, he also dedicated much of his life to serving vulnerable populations in nursing homes, prisons, and homeless shelters. He had been active in the church as a deacon and
served through teaching discipleship class es and educating others on the love of God. A Bible verse that he held dear, was Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ who lives within me. The life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me”. An additional verse that he loved was Romans 1:16 which states “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Daverne worked to live his life in alignment with these tenants and was at peace upon departure from this world. He is no longer in pain and is resting in the arms of his Savior, Jesus Christ, whom he loved dearly. Husband, father, brother, child of God, you will be truly missed!