She was 86. Funeral services were held, Sunday, June 29, 2025, at Epps Baptist Church in Epps, with Rev. Eddie Fuller and her nephew, Rev. Zale Lewis officiating. Interment followed the Epps Cemetery. Services were under the direction of Cox Funeral Home.

Pallbearers were grandsons: Vince Hillman, Justin Hillman, Eric Hillman, Joseph Sylvestri, Ben Sylvestri, Parker Rathbun, Garrett Rathbun and Kade Smith, great grandson: Jack Hillman.

Honorary pallbearers were granddaughters and great granddaughters: Rebecca Morgan, Meggan Hillman, Mary K. Mattauch, Alexandra Pantalion, Aynsley Smith, Chloe LeBrun, Abby Hillman, and Mitzi Hillman.

She is preceded in death by her husband of 55 years, Walter Sidney “Sonnyboy” Hillman; grandson, Mathew Hillman; parents, Joseph Franklin Lewis and Ida Harper Lewis; 10 brother and sisters, Arnold Lee Lewis, Willie Lewis Caviness, O.Z. Lewis, Lois Lewis Peek, Glennie Lewis Long, Quitman Lewis, Barbara Lewis Morgan, Bobby Ray Lewis, Edith Lewis Fowler, and Devon Lewis.

Mary is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Steven and Sherry Hillman of Epps; daughter and sonin- law, Terri and Joe Sylvestri of Rayville; son, Richard Hillman of Lake Charles, Louisiana; son, Walter Stuart Hillman of Rayville; daughter, Jennifer Hillman of Rayville; daughter and son-in-law, Wendy and Daniel Rathbun of Odessa, Texas; 14 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren; and a brother, Ernest Lewis of West Monroe.

Mary was the tenth of twelve children born to Frank and Ida Harper Lewis. She was born on January 22, 1939 in Pioneer. She graduated from Pioneer High School in 1957.

Mary married Walter Sidney “Sonnyboy” Hillman on March 23, 1957, after elop1ng to Greenville, Miss., after missing curfew one too many times. They made their home in Epps, where they began their family, which expanded to six kids while also expanding their farming operations.

Sonnyboy passed away January 27, 2013, after 55 years of marriage.

While raising kids, keeping everyone fed, and running the household, Mary was able to fulfill her dream of attending college by becoming a freshman at NLU at the age of 39. She began with just a single night-class, but once she decided to pursue a degree, she finished it in just three years with almost all A’s. She received one “B” (she always knew she deserved an “A”).

On May 13, 1983, she and her oldest daughter proudly graduated and received their college degrees from NLU on the same night: Mary’s in education and Terri’s in nursing.

After graduating from NLU, Mary began teaching at Epps Elementary. She retired in 2010, after teaching 27 years. She spent most of those years teaching fifth graders, including two of her grandsons and a nephew. While at school, they still had to call her “Mrs. Hillman,” just like all of the other students.

Mary and Sonnyboy took great pride in having all six of their kids graduate from college and having never had to bail any of them out of jail. They were very invested in their children and encouraged them to pursue any constructive activity that intersted them. Mary enjoyed supporting her kids with 4-H contests, showing livestock, sports, piano lessons, and pretty much any extracurricular activity at school. She even helped coach her youngest two daughters’ softball teams over several summers. She spent many hours hauling kids and sitting in bleachers while watching hundreds of ball games and dozens of track meets.

Mary always encouraged her daughters to be independent and to pursue any educational, extracurricular and career opportunities that they wanted. She never wanted them not to attempt something that they really wanted to, just because they were girls or from a small town.

Mary was always feisty and did not let retirement and her age slow her down. She had always wanted to learn to play the piano, but had never taken the time for lessons. She decided to take piano lessons at the age of 74. Although she knew she would never be a master musician, she thoroughly enjoyed the lessons, learned to play some basic pieces, and had a lot of fun while doing something she had always wanted to do.

She also traveled extensively after her retirement with several of her family members.

Mary was a true Southern lady. She rarely needed to use a recipe when cooking. Most dishes that came from her kitchen were made from scratch, and for most of her life, a lot of the vegetables she used came from her garden. She always wore a huge hat and long sleeves when she worked in the yard and garden to protect her beautiful skin. She could grow just about any plant or flower. Sonnyboy and her kids would often complain that she grew too many plants, too large a yard, and way too large a garden, especially those butter bean patches. She taught her daughters to sew and cook. She also encouraged them to participate in 4-H cooking and sewing contests to show off these skills.

Mary loved just about any kind of shopping. She especially loved antique shopping and flea markets. As much as she loved to shop, her favorite pastime was spending time with her family and friends. It did not matter if it was traveling, shopping, fishing or drinking coffee and visiting, as long as she was with family or friends, she was enjoying herself. Mary’s family would like to extend extra love and appreciation to her special daughter-in-law, Sherry Hillman. Although she has been a member of the Hillman family for almost 50 years, for the past several years she has gone above and beyond to help Mary stay safe and comfortable in her home after her health began to decline. The family would also like to thank special friend and caregiver, Lena Jackson. She took excellent care of Mary, and they could not have asked for a more compassionate and respectful person to help with their mother. Mary loved and adored both of these lovely ladies.

Sonnyboy would often tell everyone that she also worked for the state, “packing concrete,” which actually meant that she was “running the roads,” (usually shopping in Monroe). He would also say that he spent half of his life waiting for Mary, whether it was just getting ready to leave the house or to come out of Wal-Mart or a grocery store while she “darted in for a few things.” Of course, it usually took an hour or longer for her to grab those few things, and she would come out with a buggy full of bags that filled up the trunk.

Since his passing, he has been waiting for her to join him. Now, there is no more waiting. They are finally together again and resting in peace. Their children know that they were blessed to have had the most loving and supportive parents that they could ever have hoped for, and will love and miss them dearly every single day.