Steve Hillesland, a retired union representative at Machinists District Lodge 24, died May 2 at the Portland VA Medical Center at the age of 76.
Born Feb. 5, 1947, in Portland, Oregon, he graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1965 and attended Oregon State University before being drafted into the U.S. Army.
As an appointed union rep in the late 1990s and early 2000s, he represented workers in Machinists Lodge 1005 at Freightliner, Blazen & Blazen Mill and Coastal Trailer Repair in Portland. His position as union rep ended in 2005 after members changed the bylaws to elect reps, and he placed eighth in a nine-way race for four positions.
A Celebration of Life is scheduled 11 a.m. Sunday June 11 at the Forest Grove Elks Lodge —2810 Pacific Ave., Forest Grove — of which Hillesland was a member.
