On September 13th at 9:20p.m., Julie Katherine Hilton passed away.

Julie was born in Landstuhl, Germany. She lived in numerous places such as Gainesville, Florida, Austin, Texas, Boston, Massachusetts and New York, New York. She settled in Panama City Beach, Florida. From age 11, she actively worked with her family for 59 years.

Julie Hilton earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance with high honors and a Juris Doctorate with honors from the University of Florida. She also earned a Master’s in Business Administration with honors from the University of Texas at Austin. Julie was a member of the Florida Bar for 44 years, New York Bar for 43 years, and Massachusetts Bar for 35 years. As a member of these bars, Julie has been a Florida Supreme Court certified civil, family, and county court mediator for 34 years. She served for 30 years on the Florida Supreme Court Mediator Qualifications & Discipline Review Board. She was a partner in multiple law firms in Panama City and Massachusetts. She was also a Legal Clerk for the Corporate Legal Department of Pfizer, New York, NY.

Julie was President and Owner of Hilton Sun’s Emerald Sun Resorts, as well as vice president and co-owner of Hilton Inc’s Paradise Found Resorts & Hotels. She was co-owner of the Holiday Golf & Racquet Club, Inc., Hilton Timber Company, and Bear Creek Sporting Clays, Inc. She was also Director of the IHG Franchise/Owners Association Board, a Best Western Governor, and was a member and chair of numerous committees for both organizations. She was a board member of the Florida Hotel & Motel Association also serving on the Board of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association for 16 years. The Hiltons’ properties have won numerous hotel industry quality and service awards.

She saw that tourism is the largest private industry in Bay County and sponsored The Hospitality and Tourism Management Program at the L. Charles Hilton center at Gulf Coast State College. Endless possibilities await as Gulf Coast State College’s Hospitality program offers students the chance to work anywhere in the world.

Julie Hilton was involved in numerous businesses, legal, mediation, community, and charitable organizations. Some hobbies she enjoyed included yoga, meditation, walking, swimming, and martial arts. She was also a private pilot. In a quest to cure her own health challenges, Julie developed a special interest in Integrative Medicine and health freedom. She investigated stage 4 cancer through all forms of science-based Integrative Medicine.

Julie is survived by her daughter Ava Symone Katherine Whitsitt Hilton and was preceded in death by her parents Lloyd Charles Hilton, Jr., Lela Griffin Hilton and her brother Lloyd Charles Hilton, III.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00AM on Monday, September 28th at Wilson’s Funeral Home in Panama City. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 10-11 a.m. prior to the service. Interment will follow at Evergreen Memorial Gardens. The family appreciates flowers, and would also appreciate donations to the Panama City Symphony, to Holy Nativity Episcopal School, or the Hospitality Program at Gulf Coast State College.