2026 Navy Bean Fall Festival Grand Marshall

Tim Hillman Rising Sun’s own favorite newspaper Editor will be the Navy Bean Fall Festival Grand Marshal in 2026! We commend Tim for being everyone’s friend and always just a phone call away.

Tim was born in New Eagle, Pennsylvania. He was the youngest of three children of William and Stella Hillman. Stella was one of 17 children and one of three straight sets of twins.

Jacob, Granddaughter Paytyn, Tim, Linn, Zachary & Brooke

Tim graduated from Gary Horace Mann High School in 1973 where he had participated in swimming, tennis, and baseball. He went on to earn a physical education degree from Purdue University in 1977. Or as he says “THE Indiana University”. While at Purdue he served as athletic director of his Cary quad dorm unit participating in 21 different sports. He met his wife Linn Koons at a Halloween dance. When she asked if he knew where Rising Sun was- he answered, “Yes. It comes up in the East each morning.”

Tim and Linn were married in 1978 at Pleasant Ridge Church of Christ by Orson Potter. They currently attend Rising Sun Church of Christ- he has served as a deacon at each church. They have three children- Zachary, Brooke (Sullivan), and Jacob and three grandchildren- Luke Sullivan, Kelsey Hillman, and Paytyn Oldfield.

Tim has worked in many places in Rising Sun. He has worked at the Rising Sun Cemetery and Riverview Cemetery. He answered a letter to the editor by Mike Wilson and started in 1979 at the Ohio County Newspaper. He served as editor and sports reporter there and later at the Vevay Newspaper.

In February 2025, Tim was honored at Rising Sun High School for 45 years of community service. During those years he coached for 25 years. He started as reserve basketball coach, then middle school boys’ and girls’ basketball coach. He took over for Morgan Drescher as golf coach. He also was head baseball coach for two years. Tim helped start the community SAY soccer program and started the high school soccer program as a co-ed reserve schedule. In 1998, Rising Sun won the Madison boys soccer sectional as a co-ed team with Tim and Mike Seipel as coaches. The next season, he started a high school girls soccer program.

His life changed in 1999 when he went on a mission trip to Sonlight Academy in Haiti. Since then, he has made over 30 trips, sponsoring numerous students and teachers. With no newspaper job over the last two years, he continues to take photos with his good friend Mason J Uhlmansiek at high school sporting events. He has officiated soccer, baseball, softball, basketball, cross country, and track. He has also gone on First Honors Flights with Ohio and Switzerland County WWII Veterans.

Retirement includes passing out photos and newspaper clippings and watching his son’s dogs. Please share in honoring Tim Hillman as the 2026 Navy Bean Fall Festival Grand Marshall—Rising Sun’s unofficial OFFICIAL HISTORIAN!!