Hall of Famer “Blackie” Hilliard Passes at 84
Leonard L. “Blackie” Hilliard Sr.
MANCHESTER — Leonard L. “Blackie” Hilliard Sr., 84, died Tuesday, July 6, 2010, at MaineGeneral Medical Center, Augusta.
He was born in Turner on Nov. 30, 1925, the son of Leroy and Lena (Gavin) Hilliard.
He attended Turner-area schools and served in the Army during the Korean War, stationed at the Artillery and Guided Missile Base in Fort Sill, Okla. He owned and operated Hilliard’s Garage in Manchester for more than 35 years, retiring in 1995. He enjoyed deer hunting and was a member of American Legion Post 207, Augusta.
Blackie raced motorcycles and cars in the midwest and south Florida in the early 1950s. Upon returning to Maine, he won several hundred races on tracks in Belfast, Oakland, Beech Ridge and his favorite, Unity Raceway, where he won 12 track championships and several Governor’s Cups during the 1950s and ’60s. Blackie was among the first inaugural inductees in the Maine Motor Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
He is survived by three sons, Gary Hilliard and his wife, Julie, of Belgrade, Leonard Hilliard and his wife, Jo, of Malmo, Sweden, and Darrin Standish, of Augusta; two daughters, Jacqueline St. Pierre, of Gulfport, Fla., and Kathleen Hilliard, of Seward, Alaska; a brother, Leroy “Red” Hilliard, of Wales, and a sister, Phyllis Kinny, of Litchfield; 10 grandchildren, Chandler St. Pierre, Mary Blinkhorn, Kathleen Blinkhorn, Paul Hakala, Michael Hakala, Kevin Hakala, Carrie McCray, Jessie Hilliard, Raymond Vinson and Houston Vinson; also 10 great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
There will be no visiting hours. A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, July 12 in East Wales Cemetery, East Road in Wales, followed by a gathering of family and friends at 3:30 p.m. at First United Pentecostal Church on Wilson Street in Augusta.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Lung Association, 122 State St., Augusta 04330.
Condolences to the family may be sent to www.khrfuneral homes.com.
Arrangements are in the care of Knowlton and Hewins Funeral Home, 1 Church St., Augusta.
Sources: Kennebec Journal