The Hilliard Family

Hilliard Funeral Home was established over 100 years ago. In 1896, George McIntosh Hilliard moved to Canton and opened a mercantile business with a funeral parlor in the back. The store sold hardware and cloth supplies to make caskets, which people would purchase in order to build a final resting container for their beloved. In 1926, the duty of the funeral home moved forward. Around this time, Samuel Foster Hilliard, Sr., G. M. Hilliard's son, started buying caskets already assembled. They also utilized the home of the family for preparation, viewing and the service.

In 1928, another small step was made, and the first hearse was purchased. During this year, the Hilliard's began running an ambulance service along with the funeral business. After WWII, in 1945, three of Samuel Foster's five children, Curtis, Sam, and Bryan bought out the business. They moved the funeral home out of the hardware store to a house located in Canton in 1948. They owned and operated the business at this location until 1975. In the meantime, Bryan and his wife, Maxine, moved to Van, primarily because the small town did not have an ambulance. They ran the ambulance service there until 1974, when the city took it over. The existing funeral home in Van was opened in 1960. The original building still stands today, though it has been through many updates and additions. In 1991, Bryan branched out and purchased Fairway Garden of Memories Cemetery, and his son, Keith, opened Fairway Crematory. These new additions help us serve our families in a closer, more personal way. Our goal is to alleviate any obstacle and added burden that a family may encounter at such a hard time. Today, the third, fourth and fifth generations, together, operate the funeral home.