Keith Hilken

Keith Duane Hilken
May 13, 1930 - Nov 11, 2020
Keith passed away peacefully on November 11th at the age of 90 after a long battle with lung cancer. He was born in the small town of Triumph, Minnesota as the only child of Mildred and Herman Hilken. At age 10 they moved to Minneapolis where he spent the remainder of his youth. He graduated from West High School, where he played varsity football and basketball. For college he attended the University of Minnesota and was a member of the Psi Upsilon Fraternity. He proudly served his country in the United States Naval Reserve.

In December 1953 Keith (23) was offered a sales job at Reynolds Metals Company in San Francisco, which he accepted. This turned out to be a life changing decision! While Keith was in San Francisco, in addition to his work, he played on the Olympic Club Rugby Team and was a member of the SF Bachelors Club. He also made many lifelong friends. Early on during this chapter he met Eleanor (Cissy) Engs from Piedmont.

They were married in December 1956 at the Piedmont Community Church. They lived in San Francisco where they started their family with the birth of Hillary (1958) and Jean (1960). In 1961 he made a big career change and left the corporate world for real estate, specializing in agricultural properties. This took the family out to Stockton. In 1963 their family was complete with the birth of Keith, Jr. He lived in Stockton for the remainder of his life.

Keith was a devoted duck hunter. This passion led to many happy times at Side by Side and Hollister Gun Club. He especially enjoyed sharing this passion with his son, grandsons and, of course, his beloved labs Stooge, Coachise and Scooter. Keith was also an avid golfer, proud member of the San Francisco Bohemian Club for 50+ years, and member of the James Marshall Chapter of E Clampus Vitas.

Keith is survived by his wife of 64 years Cissy, his daughter Hillary Marble (Oakland), his son Keith (Truckee), and his five grandsons Charlie, Jackson, Henry, Nicholas and George. Sadly, he was preceded in death by his daughter Jean (2007). There will be a small family service in Lake Tahoe. If you choose, a donation could be made to the California Waterfowl Association, 1346 Blue Oaks Blvd., Roseville, California 95678.