IN MEMORIAM: Richard C. Hilary;
Principal At Long Island Schools
GARRATTSVILLE – Richard Cook Hilary, a Sidney native, award-winning educator and retired principal at Long Island schools, passed away on Nov. 13, 2017, at Bassett Hospital.
Richard was born in Sidney to Beatrice and Francis Hilary. He attended Sidney schools and, later, SUNY Cortland.
He was a principal in the Southold Schools on Long Island for over 30 years and touched the lives of many students.
When retired, he developed environmental and outdoor educational programs on the East End of Long Island through SUNY Stony Brook and Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Richard was an educational innovator and greatly ahead of his time. He was awarded the Golden Metcalf Award for Environmental Education and the Boy Scout Silver Beaver Award, a member of Ducks Unlimited and Trout Unlimited.
Richard had returned to the Butternut Valley, where he continued to dedicate his life to the Boy Scouts, the outdoors, and educational opportunities.
He is predeceased by his parents Bea and Francis (Frog), his first wife Evelyn, and his brother Merville (Skip). He is survived by his children Holly Hilary Moreno, Richard (Chip) Hilary and Scott Hilary; his grandchildren Elizabeth, Ashley and Cole, and his great-grandson, Quinn. He is also survived by his wife, Rosanne, with whom he shared a love of teaching and learning.
Calling hours are 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18, at C.H. Landers Funeral Chapel, 21 Main St. Sidney. The funeral service will begin at 1 p.m., with Rev. Mark Piedmont officiating. Burial will follow in Prospect Hill Cemetery in Sidney.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Garrattsville Presbyterian Church, 947 County Highway 16, Garrattsville, New York.
Condolences and memories may be shared online at www.landersfh.com
Arrangements are under the direction of C.H. Landers Funeral Chapel Sidney.