Ellen "Nellie" Sinclair Hillyer

Ellen "Nellie" Sinclair Hillyer, 96, of Pass Christian, died Monday, April 12, 2010, at her home. Nellie was born in New Orleans on March 25, 1914. In 1934 as Ellen Blair Sinclair, she reigned as the Queen of the Mystic Krewe of Mithras. Nellie attended Tulane University and graduated from the School of Journalism. She married her husband, H. H. "Sandy" Hillyer, Jr., on December 26, 1935; they remained married 62 years. During World War II she was a reporter for the New Orleans States-Item newspaper. She and Sandy moved their family to Pass Christian in 1949 and resided there the rest of their lives. Nellie was very active in politics and community projects. During a time of few women politicians, she ran for city alderman in 1954 and 1958, both times missing victory by only a few votes. She was active in the New Orleans Junior League, The Pass Christian League of Women Voters, the PTA, the Pass Christian Yatch Club, and the St. Monica Guild. She and her friends started the Pass Christian Thrift Shop to provide good clothing to those who could not afford it. She also organized and hosted many memorable parties. After losing their home in Hurricane Camille, Nellie started Hillyer House, an antique and furniture store in Pass Christian to help her and her friends replace lost furniture at-cost prices. She later sold the business to her niece, Katharine, who developed Hillyer House into the fine arts and crafts gift shop that still flourishes in Ocean Springs. Nellie was preceded in death by her husband, Sandy; her parents, Frederick Walker Sinclair and Mary Colcock Sinclair; her brothers, Frederick Sinclair, Jr., and Carter Sinclair; her sisters, Marjorie Witherspoon, Lucy Gaudet, Evelyn Moyer and Mary Ross; and one grandson, William Sinclair Hillyer. She is survived by her daughter, Penelope Hillyer Law and two sons, Haywood H. Hillyer III and Carter Sinclair Hillyer; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren In lieu of flowers the family prefers donations to the Trinity Episcopal Church Building Fund, P.O. Box 459, Pass Christian, MS 39571 or Coast Episcopal School, 5065 Espy Ave., Long Beach, MS 39560. A memorial service will be held at 3:00 p.m., Sunday, April 25, 2010 at Trinity Episcopal Church, Pass Christian. Bradford O'Keefe Funeral Home, 15th Street, Gulfport is in charge of arrangements. View and sign register book at www.bradfordokeefe.com