Dear Tim and Family,
I want to thank you all for extending the open invite to Hilton's funeral and reception yesterday. The service was lovely, and the reception was beyond awesome. Such a reflection of his personality. Although it was a sad occasion, I left it with the feeling of extreme inspiration and admiration for the life that Hilton led. The videos of him gave me goosebumps; how so much talent could fit into one person is unbelievable.
I vividly remember meeting Hilton for the first time; it was the first day of high school and we sat at the same table in our Grade 9 science class. We sat in the back of the room which was the perfect environment for joking around and having a good time. He had quite a sense of humour and sarcasm which some people didn't get, but I found hilarious. I remember waiting for him at the public library one day, we were working on a science diarama, building it from a cardboard pizza box. I was sitting at a table waiting for him when he snuck up behind me, bopped me on the head with the pizza box, and ran away and hid, chuckling. Such a goof. He was also such a great listener; we would share teenage grievances and complaints with each other, it was nice to have each other to vent to sometimes. He also expressed for me the great love he had for his sisters. He introduced me to the Beatles one day, after he was shocked that I'd never heard 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'.
The thing that most struck me about Hilton was his maturity; I met him at a young age, an age where most people are trying to fit in, or are just figuring themselves out as adults. Hilton already knew who he was. He knew what he liked and what he valued, and he knew what he couldn't stand up for. He didn't put up with any crap, and I respected him for it.
I began to lose touch with Hilton after he left Williams. I remember him being not too happy about the switch at first, but I spoke with him a couple months later, and it was evident Tim, that you'd helped push him in the right direction. He told me his grades were improving, and the people were really nice, although he missed the nice Williams girls, haha. I told him I was working at a bakery, and he requested that when he come in to visit, I hook him up with cookies galore. He never came in for those cookies, and we lost contact after that, yet I remember his face as if I saw him yesterday. It's obvious to me that you, and his entire network of family and friends helped him flourish into the wonderful man that he was. He was so full of passion, it amazes me. When I saw you wearing that turkey hat yesterday, I just knew that somewhere, he was laughing his head off, probably making fun of us all for being so mopey. I'm so happy that I got to know Hilton, even if it was just for a little while; he's a one of a kind guy. Yesterday was wonderful, and he no doubt loved every minute of it. Two fingers for Hilton forever!
Lots of love,
Olivia Gissing
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