By Patrick Webb
For The Post-Record
A funeral for former Camas Police Chief Bill Hillgaertner will take place Friday, Nov. 16, in Vancouver.
A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Hillgaertner served as Camas’ chief of police through the 1980s. He died Oct. 17, at the age of 79,
Hillaertner hired current Camas Police Chief Mitch Lackey and presented him with his police certificate when he graduated from the State Police Academy.
“He was always supportive of the staff and believed in training and education as a means to improve professionalism in law enforcement,” Lackey said of his former chief.
Already weakened by mesothelioma, Hillgaertner became ill toward the end of an international cruise, and died after several days in a Japanese hospital on Oct. 17.
Tributes will be paid during Hillgaertner’s funeral, which will take place at 4 p.m., Friday, Nov. 16, at Evergreen Memorial Gardens, 1101 N.E. 112th Ave., Vancouver.