Mary Ann Hilbert
Mystic —Mary Ann (Dreher) Hilbert, 88, of Mystic, wife of the late Frank L. Hilbert, died peacefully at home on Sunday, May 21, 2017, surrounded by her family.
Born Aug. 20, 1928, in Mansfield, Ohio, she was the eldest daughter of the late Carl and Madeline (Mooter) Dreher and lived in Mystic since 1954.
Mary Ann spent her childhood growing up in Geneva, N.Y., where she graduated from De Sales High School, Class of 1946. Following high school, she attended the Rochester Institute of Technology studying fashion design. She worked at the venerable Rochester department store, Sibley’s, as an assistant buyer and at Seneca Shoppe in Geneva.
Mary Ann met her late husband, Frank, while working at the former Sampson Naval/ Air Force Base as a telephone operator. She and Frank were married in 1954. They went on to own and operate the former Hilbert’s Luncheonette in Mystic for 30 years.
Her hobbies included buying and selling antiques and collecting antique clocks. She had a love for large beautiful hats and filling her closets with her wardrobe. She was also a green thumb gardener and her flower gardens were amazing. Mary Ann was a proud member of the Woman’s Auxiliary of the VFW Hugo Simonelli Post 3263 Mystic and the B.F. Hoxie Engine Company in Mystic.
She is survived by her four children, Frank “Fritz” Hilbert and his wife, Connie, Michael Hilbert and his wife, Darlene, Elizabeth Hilbert and her partner, Doug, and Jack Hilbert and his wife, Kate, all of Mystic; her sister, Trudy Martell of Titusville, Fla.; seven grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by a brother, Carl Dreher, and sisters Sally Knight, Joan McDonald and Elizabeth Dreher.
Calling hours will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. at The Mystic Funeral Home, Route 1 in Mystic, on Thursday, May 25. A Celebration of Life will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, May 26, at the funeral home, with burial immediately following at Elm Grove Cemetery, Mystic.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her memory to Center for Hospice Care, SECT 227 Dunham St., Norwich, CT 06360, Special Olympics, or to a charity of the donor’s choice.
Please visit www.mysticfuneralhome.com to leave a note of condolence.