H. Richard Hiller, Jr.
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H. Richard Hiller, Jr., 82, of Sandy Springs, Georgia, entered his eternal rest on Sunday, February 7, 2021, after a recent illness. Richard was born on November 17, 1938, to H. Richard Hiller, Sr., and Regina Mary (Walsh) Hiller in Louisville, Kentucky. Richard spent his formative years in Nashville, Tennessee, attending Father Ryan High School, where he played football and captained the track team. Consistent with the constancy of his Roman Catholic faith and the fond memory of his high school experience, Richard remained devoted to his alma mater throughout his life. Richard attended Vanderbilt University and Middle Tennessee State University, where he met his wife of sixty-one years, Donna Marie (Yeaman) Hiller. Together they raised a family of five children and twelve grandchildren. In thirty-five years with the Coca-Cola Company, Richard moved steadily up the chain of success from district and regional manager to brand management for Coke's U.S.-company-owned franchise operations. Richard was responsible for governmental affairs, public relations, acquisitions, and strategic planning that among other things helped Coke consolidate bottling operations under one corporate roof. His business travels and adventures with Donna spanned the globe. Connections with Coke moved the family to Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, Jackson, Mississippi, and San Francisco, California, but the deepest roots took hold in the company's corporate home of Atlanta, Georgia, where Richard lived from 1973. He retired from Coke as Senior Vice President in 1996. In the community, Richard served for many years on the Board of Trustees of Scottish Rite Children's Medical Center and was instrumental in the merger of Scottish Rite with Egleston Children's Hospital to form Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA). In honor of his service as Vice Chair of the Board of CHOA, the hospital established the H. Richard Hiller, Jr. Fellowship for Pediatric Cardiology. Richard's family foundation later funded the Donna Yeaman Hiller Cystic Fibrosis Pediatric Research Lab at CHOA. Richard shared his passion for sports and the outdoors with his children and grandchildren. A Vanderbilt football player himself, he coached football, golf, and tennis, and led fishing and hunting trips in the South Carolina Lowcountry with his beloved black Labrador retriever, Lucy, at his side. Richard was a longtime member of the Cherokee Country Club where he enjoyed the camaraderie of golf and card games. All who knew Richard will forever recall and celebrate his good humor, love of history, loyal friendship, and unyielding generosity. Richard was preceded in death by his parents, brother, Daniel Hiller of Nashville, sister, Mary Elizabeth Hickman, also of Nashville. He is survived by his loving wife, Donna, sons Roy (Tricia), Matthew (Kerri), and Andrew (Mara), daughters Kathleen (Dan) and Alison, twelve grandchildren, and six nieces and nephews. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Jude the Apostle Catholic Church, Richard's parish of four decades. Due to pandemic considerations, the funeral mass will be private. The service on Tuesday, February 16, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. can be viewed online (http://vimeo.com/510415216/fef7d085a3) and a celebration-of-life reception will be scheduled at a later date. Interment will take place at Arlington Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Richard's honor to Father Ryan High School, 770 Norward Drive, Nashville, TN 37204, www.fatherryan.org, or Tunnel to Towers Foundation, www.tunnel2towers.org.