John Seddon Hilton

1911 - 1996  (84 years)

• Name	John Seddon Hilton  [1, 2]
  Nickname	Jack
  Born	17 Nov 1911	Ogden, Weber, Utah   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Died	30 Jul 1996	Ogden, Weber, Utah   [1]
  	Died peacefully in his sleep surrounded by his family at their condo at 69 White Barn Drive. ____________________________________________________________ Legend has it that Jack was always an independent soul with an interest in engineering right from the start. One of his mother's, Great Grandma Hilton's favorite stories is when he was three years old growing up in Ogden. It seems he was interested in the street construction in front of his house and like to hang out with the crews. One day he came in and demanded "what taalor is my hair." His mother said "it's a beautiful red." "Well I don't yike it." "Why" his mother asked. "They are calling me a yed-hed!" Well he was a redhead alright and throughout his life he had the fire and spirit to match his hair color. Jack grew up to be a natural athlete. He was a jock in every way. At Ogden High School he excelled in football, basketball, and any other sport he cared to try. In 1931, as a senior, he received the Standard Examiners Golden Watch Award for best all around athlete. Today they give out scholarships to the best athletes. In 1931 the Standard Examiner was the highest award available. I think he had a little bit of redhead temper in high school too, because he carried a few scars on his fists from educating fellow student. Soon he talked his lifetime sweetheart, Elaine Poulter, into marriage, and started a family and a career. Jack was a self-made man. He received his engineering education through correspondence studies. Soon he was working in the field of engineering on Utah's state roads. He has told me stories of setting up his transit at night to shoot the north star because there were no accurate reference points to build roads like there are today. I'm sure it was a lot of hard work, but for those of us in the construcion industry cutting new roads using the stars as your guide is an awfully romantic image. He worked as a head engineer at DDO during the war. After the war he started Hilton and Carr Construction here in Ogden, a business he successfully managed for more than twenty years. In 1968 he closed his company and helped my father Dee start up Big-D Construction. In fact it was grandpa Jack that came up with the company name. He mentored my father and did all the estimating and engineering during the first few years of the business. With his helping hand Big-D went on to become Utah's largest construction company. After he retired Jack focused on his fishing. He had the reputation of catching fish when no one else on the water could get a bite. He claimed he could drop his hat in the river, fetch it back with an accurate fly cast, drop it on his head, and never miss a stroke. I have to admit I never saw him do that, but I think grandpa was his happiest when he was fishing. He focused on golfing at his favorite course, one he both desinged and built, and focused on his friends and family. Jack throughly enjoyed his grandchildren and was the kind of grandpa every kid should have. We all have our favorite memories of grandpa, mine go back to the early seventies when I was his hunting and fishing partner for several years. Through numerous trips to the Uintah Mountains and Bear Lake, Grandpa taught me how to tie a fly, cast a line, and how to release a fish without hurting it. Around the fire at night, under the mountain stars, he told me stories about his career in the construction industry, surveying uncut roads, outsmarting government bureaucrats, making friends in Utah and Idaho. He told me he truly believed there was unlimited opportunity in construction and encouraged me to follow in his and my fathers footsteps into the industry he loved. Those stories and his encouragement have stayed with me all my life. He also taught me how to drink whiskey, swear, spit - the basic skills necessary to become a man. In fact, I think he at least tried to teach everyone here those skills at some time or another. Grandpa had a great wit and a keen sense of humor. He like to laugh, and wasn't above a naughtly joke or two. I'd like to repeat a few, but he was the only one who could ever get away with them. Jack Hilton lived a full life. He worked hard, played hard, and laughed a lot. He lived a proud, independent, honest life. What greater thing can be said of any man. Allow me to share one of my favorite quotations: "Do not suppose, my dearest ones, that when I have left you--I shall be nowhere and no one. Even when I was with you--you did not seemy soul, but knew that it was in this body of mine from what I did. Believe then that it is still the same, even though you see it not...Death cannot kill what never dies." --Cicero Grandpa Jack you'll be missed. You'll be fondly remembered...... Talk given at John Seddon (Jack) Hilton's funeral by his grandson Jack Livingood -- August 1, 1996 ___________________________________________________________ John "Jack" S. Hilton Pleasant View - John "Jack" Seddon Hilton, 84, died Tuesday, July 30, 1996 at his home, surrounded by his family. He was born November 17, 1911 in Ogden, a son of Hugh James and Edith Seddon Hilton. He married Elaine Poulter on December 4, 1934 in Ogden. He graduated from Ogden High School in 1931 where he was Lt. Col. of the R.O.T.C. He received the Standard Examiner Watch for the best all around athlete in 1931. Mr. Hilton worked for the Bureau of Public Roads; the Utah State Road Commission; Ogden Defense Depot as head of the drafting department during World War II and the Ogden City Engineering Department. He also worked for C.B. Lauch Constructionmpany and then formed Hilton & Carr Construction Company from 1947 to 1968. He was the Founding Father of Big "D" Construction Company. He was a life member of the Elks Lodge; member and founder of the Ben Lomond Golf Course where he served 15 years on the Board of Directors and two years as President of the Board. He was a member of the Kiwanis Club and the Ogden Engineers C. His hobbies included fishing, golfing and bowling. Hack had a wonderful sense of humor. Surviving are his wife of Pleasant View; and three daughters, Lorraine Livngood, Ogden; Sydne Hilton, ROy; Janice (Tim) Craner, Ogden; 10 grand-children and seven great-grandchildren. Also surviving is one sister, Phyllis Morris, Ogden. He was preceded in death by his son-in-law, Dee Livingood. Funeral services will be held at the graveside on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at the Ogden City Cemetery. Funeral directors, Linquist's Ogden Mortuary ___________________________________________________________
  Person ID	I1945	Grow
  Last Modified	11 Apr 2012

  
  

  Father	Hugh James Hilton,   d. California
  Mother	Edith Seddon
  Family ID	F978	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Esther Elaine Poulter,   b. 10 Jun 1912, Ogden, Weber, Utah ,   d. 13 Mar 2000, Ogden, Weber, Utah  (Age 87 years)
  Married	04 Dec 1934	Ogden, Weber, Utah
  Children	1. Sydne Lee Hilton   2. Lorraine Hilton,   b. 19 Feb 1938, Ogden, Weber, Utah ,   d. 20 Nov 2016, Snohomish, Snohomish, Washington  (Age 78 years)   3. Janice Hilton
  Last Modified	19 Mar 2012
  Family ID	F680	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Born - 17 Nov 1911 - Ogden, Weber, Utah Married - 04 Dec 1934 - Ogden, Weber, Utah Died - 30 Jul 1996 - Ogden, Weber, Utah  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos » Slide Show		Jack and Elaine Poulter Hilton
  		Jack & Elaine
  		Jack Hilton - High School ROTC
  		Jack and Phyllis Hilton
  		Jack & Elaine Poulter Hilton

  
  

• Sources

  [S76] Social Security Death Index, Ancestry.com, (Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007.Original data - Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index, Master File. Social Security Administration.Original data: Social Security Administration. Social Security;), Number: 528-28-2772; Issue State: Utah; Issue Date: Before 1951. Birth date: 17 Nov 1911 Birth place: Death date: 31 Jul 1996 Death place: Ogden, Weber, Utah, United States of America [S90] Public Member Trees, (Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006.Original data - Family trees submitted by Ancestry members.Original data: Family trees submitted by Ancestry members.;), Ancestry Family Trees.