Sammy R. Hylton, 77, of Aurora, Illinois passed away Tuesday, December 17, 2024 at Advocate Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois.

Sammy was born deep in Coal Mining Country in Virginia on August 8, 1947. He was always proud of growing up in the 'hills' of Virginia where, out of necessity, he learned to fish and hunt to provide extra support to his family. He would condescendingly joke about being a 'Hillbilly', but he always preferred to be called a Mountain Man.

He enlisted in the Navy at a very young age, and, after his time in the Navy, he moved to IL to find work by his brother, Gary. While he did not get his high school diploma before he enlisted, after he moved to Aurora he finished his GED, attained his welding certifications from Waubonsee, and began his career as a welder. He worked first for Barber Greene, and then ultimately worked for and retired from Caterpillar in the early 2000's. After that initial retirement, he began his most cherished occupation as a Sales Manager at his son's health club in downtown Batavia from 2006-2020.

A seminal moment in his life is when he met his wife of 55 years, Elva. He loved telling everyone how much he loved his wife, and how important it was to marry 'someone special'. Sam never knew strangers for long, as he always had a gift to become quick friends. Yes, of course, his penchant for talking was not limited to just people at the gym, he loved to talk to anyone, anywhere at any time. His favorite topics were talking about his wife, family, fishing, and about his faith in God. Unfortunately, he never liked short conversations, which naturally meant that whomever he engaged with had somewhere else to be, so he would just move on to the next person willing to hear more about how proud he was of his family.

We are all so grateful for his love, loyalty, support, and we will forever miss his ill-timed phone calls and messages letting us know that he was thinking of us. His mission in life was to protect his family, support his family, love his family, and provide them all with the opportunity to live a meaningful life. Mission accomplished; thank you, dad.

He is survived by his loving wife of fifty five years, Elva (Gomez) Hylton; three children, Sandra Hylton, Chris Hylton, Jonathan (Amber) Hylton; five grandchildren, Jordan Lowe, Alexandra Lowe, Aubrey Lowe, Francesca Hylton, and Conrad Hylton; several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Basil and Evelyn (Hicks) Hylton; his sister, Lorraine Willis and his brother, Gary Hylton.

Funeral services will be held Sunday, December 22, 2024 at 6:00 PM at THE DALEIDEN MORTUARY, Pastor Jeff Frazier will officiate. Interment will be private.

Visitation will be held Sunday, December 22, 2024 from 3:00 PM until 6:00 PM at THE DALEIDEN MORTUARY, 220 North Lake Street, Aurora, IL 60506. 630-631-5500.

Please visit our new interactive website at www.daleidenmortuary.com to leave condolences for Sammy' family or sign the guest book.