Ernest Hilbelink Obituary

Ernest (Ernie) Henry Hilbelink (1935-2026)

Ernest (Ernie) Henry Hilbelink, 90, passed away on January 20, 2026. He was born on March 12, 1935 in Cedar Grove, WI – the son of Harvey and Evelyn (Lammers) Hilbelink. He attended Southside Cedar Grove Grade School and Cedar Grove High School. He worked for Allen-Edmonds Shoe Company (Belgium) until he was called to serve in the US Army in November 1957. On October 6, 1956, he married Betty Mae Fabian at Zion United Brethren Church in Batavia. She joined him in Bad Kissinger, Germany for 18 months during his deployment. They returned to the US upon his discharge in October 1959. In 1960, they started their own dairy farm (Betnie Holsteins) in the Town of Scott. Ernie was a lifetime member of the National Holstein-Friesian Association. He was a dairy and woodworking project leader for the Scott Pioneers 4-H club for many years. In 1969, he was named Outstanding Young Farmer for Sheboygan County. He served on the board for the Adell Farmers Cooperative. He retired from farming in 1990 and moved to rural Random Lake and was a school bus driver for Degnitz Bus Company (Random Lake) from 1990-2003. He also worked at Cedar Grove Cabinetry.

Ernie was a member of Zion United Methodist Church where he was an active church trustee and sang in the church choir for 40 years. He sang in the Hilbelink Quartet for decades with his three brothers. His hobby was woodworking and crafted many small furniture items for the church and personal use. His fondness for model trains prompted him to build a home outdoor train garden. He and his wife (Betty) enjoyed touring the USA and Europe. His sports passion was watching the Packers and Brewers games. In his retirement years, the highlight was spending time with his triplet grandchildren in Tennessee every winter. A recent life achievement was a military pinning ceremony in October 2025.

Ernie is survived by four sons – Steven (Jean) of Delray Beach, Florida, Gregg (Cindy) and Joel (Jenette) of Waldo, Wisconsin, and Scott (Beth) of Knoxville, Tennessee as well as four grandchildren (Christopher Vorpahl, Ashley Hilbelink, Dustin Hilbelink and Heather Hilbelink-Seeber (Colson). There are eight step-grandchildren (Andrew Wendt, Eric Wendt, Kattarina Wendt, Seth Hammons, Hope Guerena, Vivienne Ducote, Abraham Hammons, and Isaiah Hammons). He has two great-grandchildren and sixteen step-great-grandchildren. He is survived by one sister Elvira (Kenneth) Janke of Sheboygan and many cousins, relatives, and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents (Harvey, Evelyn), wife (Betty), three brothers (Gordon, Wesley, and Ellsworth) and three sisters-in-laws (Margaret Hilbelink, Marion (Virgil) Mullikin, and Marjorie Hilbelink).

The memorial service for Ernie Hilbelink will be held Saturday, January 31st at Zion United Methodist Church in Batavia with visitation at 12:30 p.m. followed by a service at 2:30 p.m. and a fellowship lunch. Military Rites will be conducted by the Ladewig-Zinkgraf American Legion Post 243 following the service at Church.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Sheboygan County Humane Society, 3209 North 21st Street, Sheboygan, WI 53083 (920-458-2012) to honor Ernie's love for his dog, Freddie, and all animals.