Lynn Hilton

Lynn Mathers Hilton Obituary On Wednesday, 12 Aug 2020, Lynn Mathers Hilton, loving husband and father of 5 children, 14 grandchildren, and 34 great-grandchildren, passed away at the age of 95 of natural causes. Lynn was born 3 Nov 1924 in Thatcher, AZ, to Eugene and Naomi (Savage) Hilton. Lynn’s family then moved to Oakland, CA, for many years. During World War II, he served his country honorably as a B-24 bomber pilot. After the war, Lynn served his first mission in the New England States Mission. Lynn married Hope Avarell in the Salt Lake Temple on 17 Dec 1948. He received his Ph.D. from the U of Chicago at age 27. He was Assistant Dean of Adult Education at BYU for 12 yrs. Lynn began his work by sending thousands of students to foreign nations. Part of his work led to the development of the BYU Jerusalem Center. In 1976, Lynn was commissioned by the Church to search out and find the Book of Mormon prophet Lehi’s trail in Arabia. The focus of his life was his love of the gospel of Jesus Christ, sharing firesides, and doing missionary work. He was a well-read author, public speaker, and member of the Utah House of Representatives. He loved the Lord Jesus Christ and served faithfully in the Church in many callings his entire life. After his first wife's death, he married Nancy Goldberg in the Salt Lake Temple on 26 May 2001. Together they faithfully served more than 5 full-time missions. He is survived by his loving wife Nancy, his sister Patricia (Shumway), and his 4 living children; Cynthia (Bowman), Polly (Richardson), Sheree (Benson), and Ralph Hilton. Preceded in death by his first wife Hope and his son Spencer. Arrangements for the viewing are being done by Gillies Funeral Home, 634 E 200 S, Brigham City, Utah. A public viewing will be held Thursday 20 Aug from 6 to 8 PM. There will be a private family service on Friday 21 Aug at 11 AM. Click this link to view additional details about Lynn's Services, including any available live streams: https://my.gather.app/remember/lynn-hilton. If you would like to sign the guestbook, please leave a comment on the Gillies Funeral Chapel website http://www.gfc-utah.com All friends and family are invited for a Military Honor guard graveside service at the Salt Lake City Cemetery, Plat C, Block 8, Lot 5 at 1:30 PM.