A green burial will be held for 85-year-old Hilliard J. Goldman, formerly of Kirkwood, Missouri, who passed away peacefully, February 23, 2022, surrounded by his daughters, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
He is survived by his daughters: Oriana (Tom) Vogel, Gloriana (Kyle) Zimdar, and Leonore (Shane) Kranov; and by his grandchildren, Will, Madeleine, Walter, Sebastian, Tatiana, Max and Edith.
His wife, Bonnie, pre-deceased him in August 2020.
Hilliard Goldman was born in Detroit, Michigan. He attended Cranbrook Schools in Bloomfield Hills Michigan — a formative influence in his life — and graduated in 1955. He received a BA and a master’s degree in history from the University of Michigan.
He met his wife when teaching at Hatch elementary school in Oak Park, Illinois. Since marrying in 1964, Bonnie and Hilliard were inseparable. Early in their marriage, they spent a year bike riding through Europe and studying German and French. They later settled in Kirkwood, where they raised their family and where Hilliard taught history at St. Louis Community College – Meramec.
After retiring, Hilliard and Bonnie purchased the Greentree Tavern in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, which they restored to its original condition from the 1790s. Hilliard was known for his intellectual curiosity, his contrarian opinions, and his constant reading.
A green burial will take place, to be followed by a private gathering to remember Hilliard’s life.