Obituary
William “Will” Mars Hildreth, 21, of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, died on April 12, 2024, and entered into eternal joy and peace. His beautiful smile, charismatic personality, and sweet nature were instantly apparent to all who met him. Kind, intelligent, and remarkably funny, Will made a lasting impact on family, friends, teachers, coaches, and countless others.
Will was born on May 8, 2002, in Kansas City, Missouri, to his loving parents, Todd and Laura (Mars) Hildreth. Will’s twin, Benjamin (Ben), was born ten minutes after his brother, establishing a dynamic and dashing duo.
Baptized into the Christian faith in 2002 at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Grandview, Missouri, and confirmed there in 2016, Will has been cherished by his church family every day of his earthly life. Will graduated from Lee’s Summit West High School in 2021 where he was a curious, clever student and a tremendous athlete, excelling at cross country and track. As a freshman, he achieved All State status as a runner on the Lee’s Summit West Track Team. Outside of school Will was a talented baseball and soccer player, loved by his coaches and teammates. Following his graduation from high school, Will attended Centriq Technology Institute in Kansas City, Missouri, specializing in cybersecurity. Will also readily spent time helping many elderly and friends with home repairs and lawn projects, always eager to serve with genuine enthusiasm and a contagious grin.
Will loved to travel with his parents and brother. As a family, they visited Spain and enjoyed the spectacle of the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona. Will and Ben surfed together in County Mayo, Ireland, and summited Ben Nevis, the highest peak in the United Kingdom, with their dad. At home in Lee’s Summit, Will loved macaroni and cheese, SpaghettiOs with meatballs, Chicken McNuggets, and his dad’s fried egg sandwiches. He treasured his dogs, Truman and Colonel, and his cat, Mika. Will was a true renaissance man. He was an incredible artist who loved to draw, and construct works of art.
Will is survived by his parents Todd and Laura; his twin brother, Benjamin; his beloved godmother and aunt, Sara Mars Hoffmann; his adored sister-cousin, Megan Hoffmann; his great pal and cousin, Joel Huckabay; paternal grandparents Rhoda and Bill Wack and Fortunato Zuazua; and beloved aunts and uncles Bart (Beth) Hildreth, Kenneth (Lisa) Mars, Stephen (Deirdre) Mars, Sara (Steven) Hoffmann, and many loved cousins including Katrina, Sam, Trisha, Ashley, Brian, Molly, Jill, Camille, Cassandra, Megan, Skyler, Garrett, Rosa, Quintin, Alyse, Joel, and Porter and many other family members and friends whom he loved from Missouri, Kansas, Florida, Arizona, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Georgia.
Above all, Will loved his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Who, at Will’s Baptism, bestowed on His child the gift of Eternal Life.
Memorials may be given in Will’s name to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 5901 E 135th St. Grandview, Missouri 64030, or to The Crossroads Program, 13806 Wyandotte Street, Kansas City, Missouri, in honor of Ben Hildreth’s sobriety, of which Will was so proud of his twin brother.
“Jesus said…’I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
Services for Will be held at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 5901 E. 135th St. Grandview, Missouri. Visitation will be held on Friday, April 19th from 5:30-8:00 pm. Funeral will be held on Saturday, April 20th at 2:00pm. Burial will be at Mount Moriah, 10507 Holmes Rd. Kansas City, MO.
The pallbearers will be Benjamin Hildreth, Joel Huckabay, Joshua Averitt, Lalo Valenzuela, Jake Schlicht, Heath George, Lane Cross, and Alexander Roller. The honorary pallbearers are Sam Hildreth, Garrett Mars, Skyler Mars, and Quintin Mars.
Arrangements by Langsford Funeral Home, 115 SW 3rd Street, Lee’s Summit, MO 64063
Condolences
Visitation
Grandview, Missouri 64030
Services
Grandview, MO 64030
our deepest sympathies to your family. words and hugs can’t take away your loss. but sometimes is a help to know that people care and are willing to hurt with you. god bless you and your family now and always
My deepest condolences to Todd, Laura, Ben, and all who mourn. I will always remember fondly the moments that Ben and I spent in various settings, sharing a few conversations together. I’ll especially remember watching him interact with his friends- the easy smile, the look of kindness and interest in the other person in his eyes. Rest eternal, grant him, O Lord and may light perpetual shine upon him. Christ is risen!
I am so sorry for your loss, I am sure he was an amazing young man, my thoughts and prayers are with you all… love always
May God’s hand be upon you and the Hildreth family during this most difficult time. Will was always pleasant to people and had a great heart and soul. I remember him playing soccer with Chase and running cross country with Coby in middle school. Will’s smile was contagious and so full of life. Laura, Todd, and Ben – I am truly sorry for your loss. I pray God will provide you with comfort and good memories of Will to bring you all together to get through this time.
With deepest sympathy –
Beautiful, sweet Will. What a tremendous gift God gave to you, Todd, Laura, and Ben! Will had so many talents, so many beautiful attributes – but it was his loving, kind heart that stands out in our memories of him – many of those memories we enjoyed making together with you and Will.
Until the joyful, promised reunion in Heaven with Jesus, we will miss you, dear Will. We know with certainty that you are with the Lord, and we will see you again.
I remember when Ben and Will were both very young. Almost every Sunday my late husband, Terry, would say”those are the cutest twin boys I have ever seen”. Oftentimes they would have on a little suit or a shirt and tie.
May God be with you all during this time of sorrow.
Laura, i am sitting here thinking about all the games that we watched and yelled like crazy ladies. Those memories are ours forever! My heart breaks with yours, love you.
Dearest Laura-my deepest condolences to you, Todd,& Ben as you grieve & celebrate Will’s beautiful life. My heart hurts for you but I also know that your incredible faith in our Savior will carry you every step of the way through this extremely difficult journey forward. Please know how much you are loved & may your precious memories keep Will close to your heart always until you are reunited. Much love-Pamie
Laura and family…in our thoughts and prayers for your loss.
Todd,
I cannot begin to imagine the grief you and your family are experiencing right now over the temporary loss of your son. Please know I will continue to pray for you and family as you work through the grief you are now confronted with.
Michael Nix
I am so deeply sorry to hear about your tremendous loss! You have my deepest sympathies! Praying for you all!
I am deeply saddened by Will’s passing. I give my condolences to your family. I wish I could’ve seen him again before his passing. I still remember all the times we had when we played soccer together. I will forever cherish those memories with him.
Sending my deepest condolences to your family. May the Lord provide peace and comfort now and in days to come.
Our most sincere condolences to your family.🙏🙏🙏
This breaks my heart. I am so very sorry to hear of Will’s passing. He was a wonderful young man. My sincere condolences to your family.
Todd, Laura, and Ben,
What a beautiful tribute to a wonderful young man. I am heartbroken for you all as you endure this grief. I know that you loved Will so deeply. Todd and Laura, you did an excellent job as parents. You raised a first class driven, kind, polite, genuine, smart, and empathetic young man. Ben, you were the twin brother and friend that anyone would cherish. Will will be greatly missed but will live forever in your hearts. Please accept our sincere condolences. With all our love,
Cate, Frank and the entire Moussa Family.
I am so sorry to hear of the loss of Will. I know Will was a wonderful person, and will truly be missed. I’ll always remember him as the smiling, sweet and easy going kid playing with my little brother and Ben. It’s so hard for me to think of Will being so young and no longer with us. I’m thinking of all of you and hope myself and my family can support you through this time and lift you up. Love, Charlotte
Doc Hildreth I am sorry to hear of your son home-going, no matter what’s happening keep the Faith, God will see you and the family through these difficult days, and please encourage Ben to seek God for answers and not man! I will keep you and your family in my prayers!
Sincerely Dave
Laura and family I am so so sad by the loss of your wonderful son. May God carry you through the days. Denise has talked of you always of your kindness and your wonderful sons. I want to express my sincere condolences to all of you and your family. God bless you always. prayers and hugs forever. Vera Bogler.
Todd, I still am in shock and disbelief, and how my heart is broken for you and Laura and Ben. It is hard to find words to express how important you and your family are to me. To see you all lose Will is a terrible thing. Will was always so kind and respectful toward me. He must have been raised right for one thing! I remember one time you and I were chatting in your living room when he came in and said something like, “What are you two wise men discussing?” And he meant it sincerely. You know, if it had been Lulit there would have been a sarcastic edge to that! Well, anyway, my runner brother, my Christian brother, know that I want nothing less for you at this time and in the months and years to come that the very presence of Jesus Himself, our Lord, who loved us and gave Himself for us, and who loves Will, and Kay, even more than we ever did or ever will.
Hildreth family,
My thoughts and prayers are with you during this most difficult time. I remember Will and Ben gracing the hallways of Summit Lakes Middle School with their dashing smiles and amazing work ethic. Will will be forever missed and always remembered. Sending you hugs as we all grieve this tragic loss.
A beautiful tribute to a beautiful soul. You are in our hearts and prayers.
Love,
The Bell Family
To the Hildreth Family,
Although retired and have moved to Arizona, I worked with Todd at Discover Vision Centers for many years. Nolan and I are so saddened by your loss and wish you, with God’s blessings, peace from the pain you must feel. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.