‘Larger than life’: Jerry Hilbrich, Central Florida philanthropist, dies at 82
He was a man of humble beginnings who rose to levels of success he never imagined. A philanthropist who never forgot his roots. A father who always had time for his three daughters despite his constant work.
Jerry F. Hilbrich, of Winter Park, died Aug. 28 at the age of 82. After retiring as managing area partner at KPMG, he chaired Heart of Florida United Way and United Arts of Central Florida for years, alongside other philanthropic roles.
“He was a larger than life sort of presence, but incredibly soft and kind at the same time,” said his daughter Wendy Evatt. “[He had] bright, sparkling blue eyes that sort of just saw and understood, and you could just kind of tell he was just a kind soul.”
Hilbrich was born April 29, 1942, in small-town Schererville, Indiana. His daughter Katie Ragland says his aspiration was owning a gas station or store in town. That changed when his high school teachers encouraged him to consider college.
“His counselor pulled him aside one day and said, ‘I don’t understand why you aren’t taking…advanced math or a science,” said Ragland. “And he said, ‘Well, I’m taking shop. That’s going to be important.’ She said, ‘No, you need to be taking these [college preparatory] classes.'”
Hilbrich, an avid golfer, was admitted to Indiana University Bloomington on a golf scholarship before deciding academics was more important. He graduated with a degree in accounting and a Masters of Business Administration.
He spent 32 years at KPMG, the global accounting firm, and moved to Central Florida in the ’80s to join the company’s local offices, where he ultimately became managing area partner and a member of its board of directors.
After retiring, he began what his family calls his “encore” career, serving as a philanthropist and fundraising for various charitable causes in Central Florida. His family says his humble upbringing and devout Catholic faith fueled his desire to help others.
“He really felt if you made a good living you were obligated to give back your fair share…to really make a difference in your community,” Ragland said. “It helps improve the community, whether it’s helping other people make it a better place to live, a better place to earn a living, a better place to educate your children, which in turn, makes it a better place for everyone to enjoy.”
In addition to stints as chairman of Heart of Florida United Way and United Arts of Central Florida, he also served as chairman of the Central Florida Community Foundation, and was the chief financial officer of the Catholic Diocese of Orlando from 2000 to 2008. He was awarded knighthood by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008.
Aside from his professional endeavors, he always made time for his daughters, they said.
“He volunteered for my high school and actually gave the commencement speech at my baccalaureate breakfast as well,” said Evatt. “So he, no matter how involved he was in the community, he was able to figure out how to translate that to his own family’s life as well.”
Hilbrich, who was notoriously competitive, loved playing games with his family: Golf, cards, croquet — the latter of which was called “killer croquet” because of how intense it could get.
“It was always fun to play with him, because he would never let us win,” Evatt said. “We always had to, you know, it was, you had to work for it.”
His family is planning a mass and celebration of life in Jerry Hilbrich’s honor in mid-October. He is survived by his wife of almost 56 years, Peggy; his three daughters, Katie, Wendy and Kelly; and his seven grandchildren.
The family asks that those who want to honor his memory donate to the charities Jerry supported.
