Published:
October 26, 2009 01:50 pm EDT
Trot Insider has learned that former judge and horseman Roy 'Butch' Hillis passed away Wednesday, October 21
. He was in his 79th year.
He is survived by his wife, Laura, and daughter, Kelly Murray.
Hillis, a resident of Arthur, Ont., is best known to many as being the trainer of Smokey Steel A.
Services for Hillis took place on Saturday, October 24 at Crawford's Chapel in Grand Valley, Ont.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to Groves Memorial Hospital CT Fund.
Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Roy 'Butch' Hillis.
Roy was a great ambassador
Roy was a great ambassador for harness racing who witnessed the transition of racing at Fall Fairs and shipping to Quebec City to the present boom in Ontario .In recent years I enjoyed buying vehicles from Roy in Arthur .I will miss his great stories of the formative years of harness racing in Ontario .