Matthew David Hillyard Endowment Scholarship

Our beloved Matthew David Hillyard passed away peacefully in his home in Logan, Utah, on Jan. 4, 2018, due to congestive heart failure. He was 42 years old. He is survived by his parents, Lyle and Alice Thorpe Hillyard, and his siblings and their spouses: Carrie and John Crockett of El Dorado Hills, California; Lisa and Brent Robinson of Centerville, Utah; Holly and Kleet Barclay of Augusta, Georgia; and Todd and Julie Hillyard of Camas, Washington. He was the uncle to 19 nieces and nephews.

Matt was born March 1, 1975, in Logan, where he lived throughout his life, but his influence reached far beyond Cache Valley. Everyone Matt met was then considered his friend, and his giant heart easily attracted countless people to him. All who knew Matt saw pure charity in action. Besides people, Matt loved peanut butter milkshakes, bowling, cheesecake, birthdays, karaoke and mini golf. All of his immediate family members and many extended family and friends could expect a birthday call from Matt every year without fail. Matt also loved music and theater and could be found at any performance to which he could talk his parents or anyone else into taking him.

A highlight in Matt's life was attending Logan city schools, where he made many friends among both teachers and students while he worked to receive a certificate of completion, after which, his employment was sorting mail at Utah State University Distribution and at Hillyard, Anderson and Olsen for over 20 years. Matt was an honorary member of the Utah Legislature and an Honorary Patrol Officer with the Utah Highway Patrol. He was also recognized as the Best Supporter of USU College of Fine Arts.

Matt was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He loved attending the Young Men's program in his ward and took very seriously his responsibility to serve as priesthood chorister, helping to ensure that Christmas songs were sung year round. He also loved to assist with the sacrament each Sunday.

The family would like to thank the many people who showed kindness to Matt throughout his life and the many medical professionals involved in his care over the years for their magnificent service and loving care. In lieu of flowers, please consider making financial contributions to the Matthew David Hillyard Endowment Scholarship (found on this page), which provides scholarship money for students pursing special education degrees at USU. We would love to hear your stories about Matt. Please consider sharing at the Matt Hillyard Facebook page. Condolences may be expressed online at www.allenmortuaries.net.