Valentine’s Day is a reminder of all the different forms of love in our life, whether it is friends, teachers, colleagues, or significant others. The Hillincks’ relationships resemble what true love is at St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School.
The Hillincks met in August of 1989 at a school in Pasadena, California. Mr. Hillinck at the time was teaching for the first time ever at his first school. There was a gathering with the new faculty before school began and Mr. Hillinck explained how the head of the school asked all the new faculty to go around the room introducing themselves and express what they are anxious and excited about for the year. Once it was Mrs. Hillinck’s turn she said, “I don’t have too much I’m worried about, I’m just excited to get started.” Mr. Hillinck replied saying, “I have a whole briefcase full of anxiety, you want one of mine?” That’s how their love story begins. When asked what their first impressions were of each other Mrs. Hillinck says, “He was really cute” and Mr. Hillinck said, “it was her blue eyes that drew me in.”
The start of their relationship began with an accidental first date. Mr. and Mrs. Hillinck had made plans with two other teachers from the school they worked at. Their plan was to go out to dinner and see a movie as a group; however, the plans took a turn. The two other teachers backed out, but Mr. Hillinck was out surfing all day so Mrs. Hillinck was not able to get in touch with him to let him know the others backed out of dinner. Mr. Hillinck, with traffic, lived about 2 and a half hours away from where they planned to meet. Mr. Hillinck arrived at Mrs. Hillinck’s door with his surfboard. Mrs. Hillinck said when he arrived “you can go home if you want” and he replied “No let’s do it.” They then had a lovely evening and Mr. Hillinck asked at the end of the night, “Do you have a policy against dating people you work with?” Mrs. Hillinck said “Not at all.” While it wasn’t an official date, it turned out to be one.
The Hillincks expressed how joyful it is working together, because it is how they met. After they started working together in Pasadena, California, they later both switched to a school in Sacramento. When they moved back to the East Coast in Philadelphia they couldn’t find a school that needed them both.
Mrs. Hillinck says, “our boys grew up in Philadelphia, and when our younger son graduated we had always promised ourselves that we would finish our careers the way we started, at the same school.”
Working together allows them to see different sides of their students, as some are very strong in science while others are better in history, and because of this they are able to help each other better understand their students. It’s also a gift that they are able to spend so much time together while doing what they love.
When asked what their favorite memory is together, Mrs. Hillinck named her top three- their wedding, and the days each of their two sons were born. Mr. Hillinck added, “We have thousands, millions of memories that we share.” Mr. Hillinck said he loves the memories of the trips they have taken, their honeymoon, a summer in England but also the smaller memories are just as exciting, the memories of when they go home together, cook and do the New York Times puzzles in the morning, are just as memorable.
The Hillincks have been together for 37 years and have thousands of traditions with each other: “We go to Church, so there’s all kinds of things that become the architecture of your life, to go back to your question, what traditions we have as a couple, our whole lives are our traditions we really identify in that way.”
When asked what they respect most about each other, Mrs. Hillinck instantly answered,
“I respect his kindness, I respect that he will make things happen like if our boys need something or if I need something, he will make sure that it will happen with a smile on his face.”
Mr. Hillinck said, “There’s so many things I love about Mrs. Hillinck, but perhaps the thing I most respect about her is her integrity with what she practices, her profession, our relationship, her friendships.”
Lastly, their trick to making a successful relationship is humor, lots of laughter, and not letting the little things bug them. “Because there’s nothing more important in my life than this man.” Mr. Hillinck replied, “You mean if I put the Cheerios in the refrigerator it’s not a deal breaker.” The Hillincks are a reminder at St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes of what true love looks like.
