UPDATE: Susan Hilton, a Longtime Richmond Heights Leader, Has Died

Former representative Susan Hilton is being remembered as a person who loved her family and her hometown.

"Throughout all her years in Richmond Heights, she loved nothing more than being able to serve on the council," her friend Pat Dolan said Friday. The two served together on the council. "It was more than a part-time job for her. It was a privilege and a way of life for her."

Susan, who had cancer, died Wednesday night at home. She was surrounded by her family and friends.

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Susan first began her public life with the city in 1987 as a member of the commission that drafted its charter. She won election to City Council as a District 4 representative on April 5, 1988. Susan also served four-year council terms beginning in 1990, 1994 and 1998.

The charter is important because it contains the rules with which the city is operated and governed, said Mayor James Beck, who served with her as a council representative beginning in 1994. Susan was one of several people who volunteered many months of time to draft the document. The city previously operated under the leadership of three council members and a mayor.

Most cities now operate under a charter, Beck said. Richmond Heights is now governed by non-elected officials with backgrounds in city management under the leadership of a city manager. Revamping the role of the council gave it a legislative function and provided more representation for residents—from four elected leaders before the charter to nine.

As a representative, Susan did her job well.

"She was well spoken and kept things a little bit lighter," Beck said.

Even after she left the council, Susan remained involved in the city. She alerted the council to unsafe traffic speeds on Dale Avenue, an issue the city continues to monitor.

Dolan, the former Richmond Heights council member, is now 5th District representative to the St. Louis County Council.

He recalled how Susan helped him campaign by placing phone calls and spending time at the polls on Election Day. She insisted on staying all day at a polling place near Clayton and McKnight roads because she wanted to visit with her former District 4 constituents.

She committed herself to the completion of The Heights community center. In a city newsletter published just before the 1998 election, the candidate wrote:

"One of the top issues in the race for the April election is the completion of the Richmond Heights Community Center. The Center will be a gathering place for all residents. Richmond Heights is one of the few communities that does not currently provide a center for its residents.

"After participating in the selection process determining the developer, my goal is to continue to be an active Council member, assuring residents of a quality, cost-effective neighborhood community center that satisfies the needs of all of us that are fortunate to live and raise our children in Richmond Heights."

Former mayor reflects on Susan's life, legacy

Former Richmond Heights Mayor Betty Humphrey became friends with Susan in 1988. That year, Humphrey became a District 2 representative and Susan became a District 4 representative.

"I respected Susan because I could tell that her commitment to serving the city and the residents was totally genuine," Humphrey said. The two developed a close friendship in the years that followed.

Susan raised two children. Her son, Chris, has two children, Ava and Kai. Her daughter, Stephanie Whitman, also has two children, Sierra and Ashley. Other family members include her two brothers, Michael and Robert, and her sister, Barbara Sokol.

She was involved in both county and state municipal leagues, Humphrey said. Susan was a member of Immacolata Parish and had been active in the parent group at , which her children attended. Her attitude and outlook on life were "just wonderful," Humphrey said.

Susan was a good neighbor. She gave rides to older residents who needed to visit the doctor or the grocery store.

She had worked as an assistant to the associate dean of continuing education and outreach for the School of Education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She graduated in 1962 from Belleville Township High School in Belleville, IL, and went on to take evening courses at Washington University's University College from 1981 to 1988.

Seven years ago, Susan received a diagnosis of colon cancer. Five years later, she passed her checkup, Humphrey said. But last year, she received a diagnosis of bladder cancer, and doctors informed her this April that it had spread to other parts of her body.

While Susan was in hospice care at her home for the last month, Humphrey said, she remained alert and continued to receive family and friends.

A wake is planned from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at in Maplewood. A Mass is planned at 10 a.m. Tuesday at , and a private burial will follow.