Scott Edward Hillman
December 15, 1967-May 17, 2026

Scott Edward Hillman was born at Redwood Memorial Hospital in Fortuna on December 15, 1967. He passed away at the same hospital May 17, 2026 at the age of 58 years. He was the fourth and youngest child of Robert and Barbara Hillman.

Scott spent his entire life in Fortuna, and attended Fortuna Elementary and Fortuna High schools, graduating from Fortuna High in 1986. He played youth soccer when he was little, basketball when he was in elementary school, and even tried youth football one season. Once he got into high school he excelled at football, track and field, and became an all-county wrestler. As a high school senior, he lettered in all three sports.

After high school graduation, Scott went to work at the Chevron gas station on Main Street, and Palco Lumber in Scotia. Somewhere during that time, he decided he wanted to go into law enforcement. He enrolled in the College of the Redwoods Police Academy in the fall of 1988. After his graduation from the academy, it wasn’t long before he was hired by the City of Fortuna, where he spent his entire career, retiring as a sergeant in 2017.

He was an avid deer hunter, and some of his fondest memories revolved around hunting –the adventures, the stories, and the antics in and around “hunting camp.”  He also had many happy experiences and memories of the Fortuna Volunteer Fire Department’s Bass tournament at Ruth Lake every year. Scott very much enjoyed the outdoors and could frequently be found camping at Fish Lake with his wife Melinda, many times accompanied by a variety of friends. He also enjoyed traveling. He and Melinda took some wonderful, memorable road trips as recently as a few months ago. Scott loved finding new places to explore, and new ways to travel to the places he’d already been.

One of his greatest joys was becoming a father. The birth of his son Kaleb in 1995 brought him immeasurable pride, and he was extremely supportive and proud of his son’s accomplishments. As Kaleb grew up and became involved in several team sports, Scott stepped in as a volunteer coach, for both youth soccer and football.

He was also richly blessed with son Tyler upon marrying Melinda. Tyler and Scott had an especially close relationship, and Scott was extremely proud of Tyler’s accomplishments. They spent many long hours together lost in intellectual and philosophical conversations, which delighted Scott by challenging his way of thinking and both gained a deeper appreciation of the other’s viewpoints.  

Scott met and married the love of his life, Melinda Nansel Watt in 2005. They spent the past 21 years raising sons Tyler and Kaleb.  Hundreds of adventures, travels, and family gatherings later, they were living out Scott’s retirement at the time of his passing. Melinda was truly his soul mate. Their travels and adventures brought him so much joy throughout their time together.

The past 12 or so years, Scott and his sister Sue spent many happy afternoons up on the family property, RoHill, Ranch together. Hours of sitting in the front yard reminiscing and sharing stories and conversation cemented the bond they’d always shared. Both came to rely on those visits and bits of shared gossip, conversation, laughter, trivia questions and debates.

Special recognition needs to be mentioned of his cousin and best friend, Wade. Their adventures, antics, and times spent together throughout their growing up years and as recent as just a few weeks ago will live on in Wades stories, and in all our memories. From the time they were just babies, Wade and Scott shared a special bond. Their friendship transcends the definition of the word itself. There’s no doubt that the adventures they shared throughout the years will be shared in Wade’s stories for decades to come.

Scott also enjoyed putting on his headphones, turning up the music, and riding his lawn mower around the ranch. He loved riding his quad around the fencelines and remote portions of the ranch as well, “checking the fences.” Those little, simple rituals brought him so much happiness.

Scott was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Barbara Hillman, his sisters Shari Hillman Hildebrandt and Sandy Hillman; his grandparents Roy and Gertrude Maloy and Fred and Lila Hillman; his cousins Martin Kelley and Dawn Kelley; and infant nephew Bradley Hildebrandt.

He is survived by his wife Melinda, son Kaleb Cohoon-Hillman (fiancé Sydnee) and  grandchildren Raven and Holden;  son Tyler  Watt (Adrianna) and granddaughter Sirin; sister Suzanne Hillman; nieces Elyse Esget (Hal), Melanie Bialous, and Kira McKenzie (Jacob), and  nephew Logan Morrow (Melissa); great nieces and nephews Haven Esget, Halia Esget, Beau McKenzie, Carson McKenzie, Elektra Morrow, Kymbur Morrow, Bryan Dashnaw, and Camryn Myers; cousin and best friend Wade Holman (Tracy), Aunt Marcia Kelley, and cousin Matthew Kelley;  cousin Louise Holman (Rodrigo) and brother in law Matthew Hildebrandt; in addition to numerous other relatives and close personal friends Cindy Smith and Brian Taylor, and others too numerous to list. He also leaves behind his feline companion, Diesel, who spent most of his days and nights lying across Scott’s chest while he sat in his recliner, even when Scott was screaming at the TV during Seahawks games…Diesel didn’t have a choice but to be a ‘Hawks fan, too.

A celebration of life gathering will be held Sunday, August 16, 2026, at the Fortuna Volunteer Fire Department on Fortuna Blvd at 3 p.m. His family and friends look forward to hearing stories and fond memories of his life and service to the community he served so selflessly. Scott touched many lives in his 58 years, through his service to the community and his long-time family connections. He will be deeply missed.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Scott Hillman’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.