Donald Bryan “Deeb” Hilliard, age 55, of Medford passed away on Thursday, July 3rd, at Holy Family Hospital of Methuen. Raised and educated in Brockton, he was the eldest son of Barbara (Belcher) and the late Bill Hilliard. Bryan spent many summers with his family at their cottage in Myles Standish State Forest on Rocky Pond in Plymouth. He was a graduate of the technical writing program at UMass Amherst (1993) and earned his MBA from Boston University. His most recent employment was as VP of Marketing at CareConnect in Dedham, MA.
In addition to his academic achievements, Bryan was a gifted trumpet player. His music education began in Brockton under the direction of recently retired (2024) music director Vincent Macrina, and continued at UMass under the direction of the late George Parks. In recent years, Bryan grew a highly successful music booking agency – Occasional Brass and strings. Bryan and his beloved wife of 29 years, Stacey (Clark), have been residents of Medford since 1998, and members of the Medford Boat Club (MBC) since 2013. Bryan is a past MBC Commodore, and served several years as the club’s Director of Entertainment.
Bryan was the devoted father of Duncan and Owen Hilliard, and the dear brother of Barry Hilliard and his wife Kristin. He was the cherished uncle of Ryan, Evan and Sarah Hilliard. Bryan was the loving son-in-law of Retha (Engle) of Peabody, MA and her late husband Stuart Clark and brother-in-law of Steve Clark and Tonya West of Vermont.
Visiting hours will be held on Thursday, July 10th in the Dello Russo Funeral Home, 306 Main St., Medford, from 4 through 8 PM, and again on Friday morning at 9 AM followed by a funeral service conducted in Crawford Memorial Methodist Church, 34 Dix St., Winchester at 10 AM. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend. Services will conclude with burial at Oak Grove Cemetery, Medford, followed by a reception at Raso’s Bar & Grille, 209 Mystic Ave, Medford. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent in Bryan’s name to the Jimmy Fund, a cause Bryan supported by riding in 19 of the last 20 or so Pan Mass Challenge rides.