Over 400 friends, family and colleagues laughed and cried together during a celebration of life for Colin Hilton Wednesday at the Utah Olympic Park. They remembered his many accomplishments, but more importantly the fond memories and joy he brought to their lives.
According to an obituary, Hilton died by suicide at his Park City home on Aug. 21 at 58 years old.
Born in 1968 in Buffalo, New York, Hilton always had a passion for sports.
He entered the sporting event world after graduating from Binghamton University in 1990. He held leadership roles at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.
Hilton then moved to Park City and led the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation for over two decades.
Cross-country skier and colleague Luke Bodensteiner said the job was simple when Hilton took over: maintain the Utah Olympic Park, Soldier Hollow Nordic Center and later the Utah Olympic Oval. But Hilton redefined the mandate with goals to invest in the facilities and make an impact.
“Youth sports was a particular passion of his, and he clearly wanted every kid in our community to have access to winter sports,” Bodensteiner said. “He wasn't out to create Olympic champions. He wanted to use sport participation to create champions in life.”
Hilton’s employees said he was also a great leader and visionary. He knew most of the staff personally and had endearing quirks.
Gayle Day is the foundation’s facility maintenance manager and worked with Hilton for seven years. She said Hilton was very knowledgeable about flag etiquette.
“I loved it about him. It's probably something I'll cherish going forward, and I'll never fly less than four flags up there because of Colin,” Day said.
Hilton was also instrumental in securing Utah’s bid for the 2034 Olympics.
Utah 2034 President Fraser Bullock said the pair began working together in 2012 to bring the Games back. He said Hilton was perhaps the best in the world at putting together a bid.
But more importantly, Bullock said Hilton was like a brother to him. He said Hilton reminded him of the three keys to a rich life: celebrate life every day, enrich relationships with kindness and give meaningful service.
"So although I have this deep sadness within me, I have a celebration. I feel blessed because he was my brother, and I'm so glad I got to know him,” Bullock said.
Friends and family shared similar stories of how Hilton enriched their lives.
Mark Harden met Hilton in 2011 when he moved to the area. He said he quickly realized Hilton was the heart of their neighborhood. Hilton brought people together in countless ways, whether it was to play cornhole, bike around Round Valley or go on a group camping trip in the Cottonwoods.
One of Harden’s favorite memories is of Hilton’s yearly November gathering of neighborhood dads to build an ice rink — later known as the ditch. They would clear out a spot and use hoses from six-plus houses to fill it.
“The annual rink-building tradition became a symbol of Collin's ability to turn ideas into reality, while creating lasting memories for everyone around him,” Harden said. “Colin's greatest gift was his ability to unite people, inspire participation, and make life more enjoyable.”
Hilton’s sister, Lisa Zoltak, shared a memory from their childhood. Hilton was the youngest of seven children and Zoltak said he was the only one with a nickname: Bomber. That’s because he would put his head down and crawl until he hit something, then perk up and find a new direction to go.
The nickname matched his work ethic, too. Zoltack said he would always make a plan and gather people to move it forward.
Richard Hilton spoke of his brother’s tendency to respond to a question using “yeah” and “no” in the same breath, as if agreeing and disagreeing at the same time. He’d say, “Yeah, this is going to be hard, but no, you can do it.”
Richard Hilton said his brother used the phrase to convince him to join a soccer team at 35 and hike Angels Landing in Zion National Park two months after retirement.
“That's what I'll miss most — not just the trail, not just the lake, not just the adventure, I'll miss that push I needed and the laughter that always came afterwards,” he said. “Yeah, Col’, we lost you too soon, but no, we're not done carrying forward what he started.”
Hilton is survived by his three children and their mother, as well as his six siblings.
If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org.
