John Thomas Hilton

John Thomas Hilton, 82, of West Columbia, SC passed away on May 7, 2026 peacefully at his home. John was born on January 1, 1944 in Dorchester, SC to the late Johnnie Moses and Cora Jeanette Hilton. John was a member of Faith United Methodist Church in Lexington, SC.

John retired from the SC Department of Education, Transportation Department. He was a rebuild mechanic. He rebuilt all the motors and transmissions for the school buses of South Carolina. He also worked as a mechanic at Love Chevrolet in Cayce, SC.

John enjoyed going to his country home, trips to Myrtle Beach, SC and Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, TN.

He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Deloris Slone Hilton; daughter, Patricia Gail Hilton; grandson, Shawn Anthony Smith (Rachel); great-granddaughters, Alisabeth and Annistyn (Anni); nieces, Barbara Driggers (Robbie), Malissa Hilton; nephew, Walter Hilton (Amanda); many great nieces and nephews; cousin, Mary Pearl Pulaski (Ralph); and his “adopted son”, Tijani Dridi.

John was predeceased by his parents; brothers, Allen Hilton, Wayne Hilton, and James (Jimmy) Hilton; sisters, Diane Adkins and Linda Hilton; and aunts, Ray Campbell and Yuri Taylor.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. with the funeral service at 11:00 a.m. at Faith United Methodist Church, 5151 Sunset Blvd., Lexington, SC 29072. Then there will be a short graveside service at 3:00 p.m. at Limestone Baptist Church, 1890 E. Main Street, Dorchester, SC 29437.

The family would like to thank his doctors and nurses at Lexington Health, Dr. Wells and Dr. Rac, as well as his care team at Amedisys Hospice and Tori Brown.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to The Salvation Army, P.O. Box 2786, Columbia, SC 29202 or Faith United Methodist Church, 5151 Sunset Blvd., Lexington, SC 29072.

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