Wilmer "Bill" Hildebrand was born in Borden, Saskatchewan, Canada on November 10, 1921 to parents, Henry and Annie (Wiebe) Hildebrand. As a young boy his family moved to Milwakee for a short time and then on to Shafter, Ca. by the time he reached 5 years of age. Bill graduated from Shafter High School in 1940 and married the love of his life, Helen Era McBride, on November 14, 1941 at the First Baptist Church in Shafter, Ca. The couple stayed here to start their family and Bill started a career in auto sales. He later ventured into ag sales and finally operated Shafter Recap & Tires for a number of years. Bill was well known around town and always willing to contribute to the community of Shafter; he was active in Kiwanas, served on the police commission, and in the late 1960s, he served as the Mayor of Shafter. Much of Bill's life revolved around his Lord and his faith in Jesus Christ. He was unapologetic, and proud of his relationship with the Lord. Bill was a devout disciple and a scholar who would often spend hours reading, re-reading and comparing numerous versions of The Bible, while enjoying his morning zwiebach and coffee. He was instrumental in the construction of the Valley Bible sanctuary, and he also served as Choir Director at the church for over 30 years. In his free time Bill loved to stay busy; he enjoyed spending time doing yard work or woodworking any number of creations. He also supported local theatre and acted in several plays, or you could catch his men's quartet "The Cottonaires" singing around town. Bill was big into hiking and backpacking; it gave him time to appreciate God's splendor. He enjoyed smoking meats for family get togethers. Christmas was his favorite time of year! Bill is preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Annie Hildebrand; and his wife 65 years, Helen Era Hildebrand. He is survived by his daughters, Sue and husband Ken Enns, and Deborah and husband Gary Bramer; grandchildren, Adam Enns, Casey Enns, Jay Enns and wife Katie, Brad Morse and Brent Roloff and Heather; great grandchildren, Hazel, Piper, Tayla and Hailey. Bill died in Visalia, Ca. on August 25, 2016. A viewing was held at Peters Funeral Home in Shafter, Ca. on Tuesday, August 30, 2016 from 4-8pm. A graveside service took place at Shafter Memorial Park on Wednesday, August 31, 2016 at 10am, and was followed by a memorial service held at Valley Bible Church in Shafter, beginning at 11am.