Bernard M. Hillman, retired decorated Navy lieutenant commander and longtime facility manager, has died at 99

Bernard M. Hillman, 99, of Narberth, retired decorated Navy lieutenant commander, longtime facility manager for Bonwit Teller, neighborhood volunteer, and father of seven, died Saturday, Dec. 2, of heart failure at his home.

Lt. Cmdr. Hillman enlisted in the Navy in 1942 while still a senior at Cape May High School and retired from active duty in 1969 with a dozen medals and ribbons, and a citation from Adm. Chester Nimitz for “heroism in rescuing injured enlisted men from being drowned or burned to death” during World War II.

He was an expert at navigation and, having sailed boats around Cape May as a boy, was naturally adept at handling watercraft of all sorts. He served during four major invasions of islands in the Pacific Theater in the 1940s, helped recapture the Philippines in 1944, and earned the prestigious Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his actions on May 21, 1944.

On that day, in an act that family and friends say does not surprise them, Lt. Cmdr. Hillman, then just 19, disregarded exploding vessels around him during a catastrophic accident at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, maneuvered his small boat alongside burning ships, and rescued dozens of men from the flames and polluted water. In his citation, Nimitz highlighted that Lt. Cmdr. Hillman’s “heroic conduct” came with “complete disregard of his own safety.”

In a video interview for the Library of Congress a few years ago, Lt. Cmdr. Hillman said: “It’s horrible to have to go through it. But you just do it.” His son William said: “None of the honors he received were for acts of violence. They were acts of compassion. He would do anything for anybody.”

Lt. Cmdr. Hillman became a career officer in 1952 and was stationed over the next decade and a half in Connecticut, Florida, California, and Philadelphia. He navigated landing craft, charted complex courses for submarine rescue ships, and steered vulnerable vessels to safety during storms. He cleared islands for atomic bomb tests, became a deep-sea diver and instructor, and worked shore duty for a time.

He rose steadily through the ranks, from boatswain’s mate third class in 1943 to lieutenant commander in 1967. “Everybody knows me in Narberth, being an old sailor,” he said in the video interview. “I wear my hat, you know.”

A lifelong Mr. Fix-it and accomplished woodworker, he became facility manager for Bonwit Teller’s three local locations in 1969 and retired for good in 1989. But he didn’t retire from doing good deeds.

He continued to aid neighbors around the house and provide an empathetic ear during tough times. He helped friends assemble bicycles and dollhouses on Christmas Eve, and delivered food and supplies to local elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“He was a simple man,” said his daughter Anna. “He never looked for fanfare or applause. He was just a kind, nice person.”

Bernard Maurice Hillman was born June 17, 1924, in Philadelphia. His mother died when he was 12, and he split much of his time afterward with his father in Cape May, and aunt and uncle in Philadelphia.

He worked at a bowling alley, in a local vaudeville act, and on fishing boats as a young man during the Great Depression. He learned woodworking skills from his grandfather and joined the Navy to avoid being drafted into the Army.

He wanted to be a pilot, but the high school diploma awarded to recruits who joined before graduation arrived too late during basic training, and he instead was assigned to the sea. He met Anna Becker on a double-date setup, and they married in 1952, and had daughters Katharine, Florence, Marion, and Anna, and sons Bernard, Joseph, and William.

Lt. Cmdr. Hillman played golf and liked to fish with his wife. He went hiking and birding, and arranged memorable family camping trips across the country and to Canada. His family called him Barney.

He made piles of home movies and set up model trains at Christmas. He liked Bing Crosby songs and became a pretty good baker. He served as a naval adviser to the 1968 comedy film Nobody’s Perfect, which starred James Whitmore, and was the subject of several newspaper articles, including in The Inquirer.

He was active in youth sports in Narberth and at local churches. “He was humble with no arrogance,” his son William said. “For him, it was always others before self.”

His daughter Katherine said at his service: “We now have just one wish for you today, Dad, fair winds and following seas.”

In addition to his wife and children, Lt. Cmdr. Hillman is survived by four grandsons, one great-grandson, and other relatives. A grandson and sister died earlier.

Services were Thursday, Dec. 7, the 82nd anniversary of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

Donations in his name may be made to St Margaret Parish, 208 N. Narberth Ave., Narberth, Pa. 19072.