David E. St. Hilaire Jr., Concord - Devoted Episcopalian and owner of model railroad November 17. 2004 8:00AM B OW -- David E. St. Hilaire Jr. died Sunday, Nov. 14, 2004, at Presidential Oaks in Concord. Memorial services will be held Saturday at noon at St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church on Route 13 in Dunbarton. A reception will follow. Burial will be held privately at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church, 270 Stark Highway, Dunbarton 03045; or to the National Kidney Foundation, 30 East 33rd St., Suite 1100, New York, N.Y. 10016. The Cremation Society of New Hampshire is in charge of the arrangements. ~~~ David was born April 26, 1922, to David Sr. and Ethel St. Hilaire in Huntington, Long Island, N.Y. He bravely served the Navy in the Aleutian Islands as a member of Scouting Squadron Seventy, where he survived numerous encounters with the enemy while defending our nation's coast. After the war, he enlisted in the Air Force Reserve, where he served 20 years as a firefighter and retired a master sergeant. He was also a volunteer firefighter for Greenwood, Mass., and Lancaster. On his return from the war he married his wartime sweetheart, Beverley Pitman, in October of 1947. He earned an associate's degree in accounting from Bentley College and held various accounting positions, with the most notable being the comptroller for Weeks Memorial Hospital in Lancaster and most recent, as an auditor for the state of New Hampshire. David was always active in the Episcopal Church and served as a lay reader often. During his retirement, he became involved with St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church in Dunbarton and, with the assistance of his wife and several others, helped the small church regain its congregation and financial stability. Earlier in life, he participated in Boy Scouts as a scoutmaster and helped many scouts learn to love the outdoors as he did. David hiked and walked for years and was a very active walker in his retirement. He also participated in the Making Strides for Breast Cancer walk for several years and even doubled the 5-mile walk to 10 just to challenge himself. David also loved trains. In his earlier years, he was an active railroader and owner of the Cinder Valley Railroad, one of many model railroads of the day. He traded passes and information with model railroading clubs and built his own engines, cars and scenery. It was his love of trains that carried him through his final years as he passionately began resurrecting the Cinder Valley Railroad. He is missed greatly by his loving and devoted wife of 57 years, Beverley; his brother, Francis; daughter, Janet; son, Robert, and wife, Claudia; daughter-in-law, Deborah; and grandchildren, Jody Lynn and Todd Robert. He was predeceased by his son David Gary. His family would like to thank everyone who has helped care for David over the last few years. The love and attention he has received from all of the staff at Presidential Oaks and the Concord Dialysis center will always be remembered and meant a great deal to David. He spoke of you often and with great fondness.