Memorial service Friday for Justin Hilligoss, 15 Memorial service Friday for Justin Hilligoss, 15 (June 09, 2004)

A memorial service for Justin Cleary Hilligoss will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, June 11, at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church. A reception will follow at the church.

Justin died May 28 after a three-year battle with a rare form of cancer known as alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. He was 15.

Born at Stanford Hospital, Justin graduated from St. Raymond School in Menlo Park last year. He was a freshman at Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton.

Last week, students and teachers from St. Raymond School attended a Mass for him at St. Raymond Church. Another Mass, attended by classmates and teachers in the Sacred Heart Prep community, took place June 4. At June 3 graduation ceremonies for Sacred Heart Prep, Justin was posthumously awarded the Blue Ribbon, the school's highest honor.

Before his illness, Justin was an avid skier and skateboarder, and played tennis, baseball, soccer and basketball. He mastered video games and continued to play them during his long illness. When he was no longer able to play sports, he became a great cook and enjoyed watching cooking shows, says his mother, Kate Cleary Hilligoss.

During the past three years, his father, Tom Hilligoss, kept family and friends informed about Justin's progress through his Web site: www.justin-info.com. Mr. Hilligoss recounted the many treatments and hospital stays, including a visit to the Children's Hospital in Denver, but also shared the good times. There was a trip to Disney World and a Disney cruise for the whole family, provided by the Make-a-Wish Foundation in 2003, and a vacation in Maui this past February. In March, Justin donned a tuxedo to attend the Ronald McDonald House "Denim-to-Diamonds" party at Bay Meadows.

Justin is survived by his parents, Tom and Kate Hilligoss of Redwood City; brothers Spencer and Patrick; sister Caitlin; his grandmother, Prudence Cleary of Menlo Park; aunts Cece Cleary of San Carlos, Candace Oulette of Cave Junction, Oregon, Amity Cleary Evans of Eugene, Oregon, and Stephanie Henon of Sebastopol; and uncles Mansfield Cleary of Cave Junction, Oregon, Coalter Cleary of Menlo Park, and Gregg and Robert Hilligoss of Capitola.

His humor, humility and grace was an inspiration to all who knew him, say family members.

The family prefers memorials in his name be made to the Children's Fund at Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.

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