Kenneth Hugh Hilton, 63, passed away Dec. 5, 2023 at the Palmdale Regional Medical Center in Palmdale, California, after a long illness.
Kenneth had been a resident of Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez for almost 20 years, and worked as a general construction contractor for custom homes.
Initially, he was affiliated with Dennis Allen and Allen Associates. Kenneth later started his own construction business Ken Hilton Building Construction/Construction Management, based in Santa Barbara, which he operated until a year ago, when he retired and moved to the Palmdale area.
Kenneth also worked on custom homes in the Utah area before moving to California, and he was a graduate of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, with a degree in construction management.
Kenneth was born Aug. 13, 1960 in Provo, Utah, to Junius Harlan Hilton and Opal Evelyn Morris Hilton. He attended schools in Orem, Utah, graduating from Orem High School in 1978.
He resided in Salt Lake and American Fork, and was employed at U.S. Steel at Geneva as a crane operator for more than 10 years.
He married Robin Cox and they were later divorced. He moved to the Santa Barbara area in 2004, and started his business in construction a short time later.
He enjoyed traveling and visited China and the Philippines numerous times. He married Jenelyn Bartolabac, a native of the Philippines, in Santa Barbara on July 7, 2018.
Kenneth is survived by his wife Jenelyn, of Palmdale; four children Eric (Desiree) Hilton of Texas; April Hilton Rawson, Paul Hilton and Michelle Hilton Foster, all of Utah; four granddaughters, Makala, Sierra, Cora and Kayley; a sister and three brothers Irene (Lynn) Jones of Missouri; Dale Hilton and Allen (Marcia) Hilton, both of Utah; and Larry (Marlene) Hilton of Oklahoma; and numerous nieces and nephews, including Taylor (Nicole) Jones of Santa Barbara, Deirdre Jones of Carpinteria, and Sherrie Hilton of Goleta.
Kenneth was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers Richmond Hilton and David (Judy) Hilton, of Missouri.