Virgil Duane Hillstead

HILLSTEAD, Virgil Kalamazoo Virgil D Hillstead was born September 21, 1930, to Edmund and Constance Hillstead in rural Wisconsin. Mr. Hillstead passed away on August 3, 2013, from complications of pulmonary fibrosis. He was preceded in death by his parents, Edmund and Constance Hillstead of Whitehall, MI. He and his wife of 58 ½ years, Joan Ruth Bendtschneider, were married December 19, 1954, in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Virgil served in the U.S. Army for two years in Arkansas before returning to Kalamazoo, MI to earn a Masters Degree in Education from Western Michigan University. He is survived by a brother Roger (Joan) Hillstead of Fruitport, MI; a sister Verna Mae (Rudy) Gross of Hesperia, MI, and a sister Marlene (Arno) Guske of Grand Haven, MI. Also surviving is a revered brother-in-law, Edwin Bendtschneider of Springville, Utah. Surviving are his wife, Joan R. Hillstead of Kalamazoo, a son Craig (Vicki) Hillstead of Plainwell, MI and a daughter Cindy (Mark) Cleveland of Portage, MI, five grandchildren, Lauren, Carly Jo and Tessa Cleveland; and Alicia and Craig Hillstead Jr. Upon completion of the Masters Degree at Western, he taught and counseled at South Junior High School for 3 ½ years before moving to Riverside, California in 1959. While there he completed the California Pupil Personnel Credential at Claremont College. He returned to Kalamazoo at the Grand Opening of Kalamazoo Valley Community College in 1968. He remained at the college until he retired. He spent his years at KVCC in counseling and administrative duties. His main interests and passions were music, reading extensively, physical conditioning and motorcycling. Accordant to his wishes, cremation has taken place. There will be no memorial service or visitation. Please make any donations to Hospice of Southwest Michigan.