He did one thing during the war that he was very proud of.  He and seven others became the first Americans to fly jet aircraft when they were hand-picked to fly the newly-captured Messerschmitt 262 jets to France from Germany.  His last Cookie, number seven, was a captured Me 262.  Years later, when he told his daughter about the experience, he was disappointed that no one (at that time he thought, aside from the pilots themselves) ever realized what an amazing thing they had done. Years later the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum honored the “Whizzers” with their photos, a restored Me 262 and an exhibition showcasing their mission.

After the war, Fred, Mary and Cookie settled in Columbia, Missouri.  They bought their first home and Fred completed his degree in Electrical Engineering.  Shortly before his graduation in 1947 Mary presented him with a son, Frederick Lawrence Hillis, Larry.  After graduation Fred went to work for Manufacturers Mutual Fire Insurance, first as an inspector of commercial property and later as a sales representative.

The family then moved to St. Louis, Missouri where a second daughter, Mary, was born in January of 1950.  Shortly thereafter they moved on to Dallas, Texas when Fred received a promotion to District Sales Manager of the company.  Daughter number three, Valerie Hood Hillis, was born there in 1955.

Meanwhile, Fred had attracted the attention of the Anderson Clayton Corporation in Houston.  They hired him in 1956 to start and head their new "in-house" insurance company.  Fred and Mary's last child, another daughter, Virginia, was born in Houston, home of the new Ranger Insurance Company.  Ranger Insurance was soon joined by seven other insurance companies each providing for a different aspect of the conglomerate's interests.  Fred was President and General Manager of them all of them until increasing health problems forced him to retire. He died in Dallas in 1972 at age 53. His widow, Mary passed away at age 98. She never remarried. Fred and Mary are survived by only three of their children, Cynthia (Cookie), Mary and Virginia, 12 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren.

Incidentally, Fred’s stature is pertetuated in his descendants. His shortest great grandson is 6’3”, the tallest 6’5”. Three of his seven grandsons are proud to be veterans.