Kim Benjamin Hilden's Obituary
On November 27, 2023 Kim Benjamin Hilden was taken home after 24 years of relentless pain. He passed away peacefully at home, supported by family.
Kim was born on October 22, 1944 in King City, California to Benjamin Alvin Hilden and Beth Violet
(Sanders) Hilden and was a life-long member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Early in 1963, at age 19, Kim joined the Army Reserve, where he would serve until 1969.
Later in 1963, Kim put his Army Reserve service on hold: he was set apart as a missionary by Elder
Gordon B. Hinkley, who blessed him with the gift of tongues. Kim served a mission in Southern Mexico,
where he would master the Spanish language and retain fluency in it throughout his life.
After his mission, Kim worked as a machinist while he earned a BS in Business from San Jose State.
Kim’s professional life included work as a real estate developer and business consultant. He worked in
Research and Development for the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) project, and acted as a translator for
BART personnel in Argentina while the city of Buenos Aires was considering a rapid transit system. Later
in life Kim worked as an agent for the IRS and owned a tax preparation business with Dean Smiley CPA.
Kim married Kathy Maag Hilden on March 23, 1984 in Modesto California, and they were sealed the
following year in the Oakland Temple. When Kim married Kathy, she brought her four children into the
household. He supported Kathy’s children while they lived at home and was a good provider to the
family.
Kim was an avid recreational shooter and he loved to go on road trips with Kathy or fly with her to
Hawaii. In 1999, Kim suffered serious health problems due to the infamous weight-loss drug Fen-Phen,
which left him disabled and in pain for the rest of his life.
Kim was preceded in death by his parents and his brother David. He is survived by his wife Kathy, his
brother Lynn and his cousins Ken Hilden and Alice Gray. Kathy’s children include Shauna Thurman Taggart
(Sean), Dave Thurman (Michelle), Jeff Thurman (Cherie) and M. John Thurman (Heather).
A viewing will be held from 10:30am to 11:45am on Tuesday, December 12th in the LDS chapel located
at 891 West 130 North in Orem, Utah. The funeral will follow at noon. Interment will be in the Pleasant
Grove Cemetery. A recording of the funeral service has been made available here: https://youtu.be/7DDMOjeHTAA
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