Col. Roger Thomas Hilton, Retired

Col. Roger Thomas Hilton, Retired

Niederbuchholz, Germany

Sadly, we share that Roger Thomas Hilton, formerly of Marion, peacefully passed away on Dec. 4, 2022, in Germany, one day before his 82nd birthday.

He died peacefully, surrounded by family. Roger is survived by his wife, Karin; his daughter, Katja Hilton (spouse John Loveland); son, Martin Hilton (spouse Liz Morehead); grandchildren, Eva and Noah; and sister, Jill Hilton Bailey (spouse Don).

Roger was born on Dec. 5, 1940, in Oelwein, Iowa, graduated from Marion High School in 1958, West Point Military Academy in 1962, and began a unique military career. He served two tours of duty in Vietnam, where Roger was wounded and highly honored for bravery and actions that saved the lives of his men. He trained as an Army Ranger in Fort Benning, Ga., and learned Russian at the Russian language school in Washington, D.C. Roger was stationed in Berlin towards the end of the cold war and led the mission to monitor Soviet military movements in East Germany. He also attended German Leadership Academy in Hamburg, Germany, and the Navy War College in Rhode Island. Roger’s last assignment was Chief Military Attache with German forces, Bonn, Germany. He retired full colonel to the village of Niederbuchholz, Germany.

Roger will be dearly missed by all. There is no memorial service planned at this time but if you would like to reach out with memories you can email Roger’s sister Jill, jillbaileybailey@yahoo.com.