Simon Hiltner

Simon N. Hiltner, age 4 of Sauk Centre, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family on Thursday, August 18, 2022 from natural causes.

A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, August 25 at First Lutheran Church in Sauk Centre with Rev. Becky Thomas officiating. Interment will be at Greenwood Cemetery in Sauk Centre.

Visitation will be from 1 to 1:45 p.m. Thursday at the church.

Simon Nicholas Hiltner was born March 1, 2018 in Fargo, North Dakota. Jamie and Jess (Shaw) Hiltner were able to visit Simon daily in the NICU, bring him home, and later adopt him on December 28, 2018.

Simon fought every day to stay with his family. During his 22 hospitalizations, he consistently showed us that his strength and bravery were unmatched. Although Simon dealt with many medical setbacks, he remained the happiest child. Simon taught the world what it was to be good and pure. Our family is humbled by all of the hearts he touched during his short time on earth. His smile could and did change the world. Simon was magnetic. Whether you met him or just knew of his story, you fell in love with him. He had people around the globe cheering him on and celebrating his wins. We consider ourselves the luckiest family in the world, to raise our own idol, our superhero, Super Simon.

Survivors include his parents, Jamie and Jess Hiltner of Sauk Centre; sister and brothers, Delaney, Ollie, Freddy, and Rett Hiltner; biological siblings, Olive and Jordan; grandparents, Barry and Laurie Shaw of Henning, Jerry Hiltner of Osakis, and Theresa Krebsbach of Sauk Centre; great-grandmothers, Norma Swanberg of Battle Lake and Marge Hiltner of Sauk Centre; aunts, Mandy (Marty) Ellenson of Alexandria, Jessie (Tim) Thornbloom of Osakis, Jennie (Joe) Frank of Sauk Centre, and Jossie (Tyler) Johnson of Sauk Centre; uncles, Dylan (Megan) Shaw of Moorhead and Keegan Shaw of Henning; cousins, Wyatt, Easton, Liam, and Brynn Ellenson, Bronson and Goldie Shaw, Lexi and Zoe Thornbloom, Logan, Emma, and Nora Frank, and Audrey, Olivia, Amelia, and Evan Johnson.

Simon was preceded in death by his great-grandparents, Fred Swanberg, Clifford and Ruth Shaw, Erwin Hiltner, and Alphonse and Gertrude Krebsbach; and special great-aunt, Deanna Shaw.

Simon’s family would like to send a special thank you to the many therapists who enriched his life. A special thank you to the medical staff at CentraCare, his home nurses, the Sauk Centre ambulance crew and police officers who worked hard to give us our 4 years with Simon. We are forever grateful to you.