David Alan Hilliard of Oak Bluffs died on Friday, August 5 at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital after suffering a heart attack. He was 63.

David was born on June 24, 1953 in Boston to his late parents Alan and Barbara (Welch) Hilliard. He was the middle child of two siblings, Margery Davidson of Newport Beach, Calif. and Judy McCarthy of Falmouth.

In the 1970s, David embraced the hippie lifestyle and travelled around the country in a camper. During that time, he had a short marriage that produced two children, Rose Hilliard of Astoria, N.Y. and Toby Hilliard of North Carolina.

David later settled on Martha’s Vineyard, where he joined his family’s candy-making business. He bought and operated Hilliard’s Kitch-In-View Candy on Circuit avenue and a second store at the Dockside location from 1989 to 2001. In addition to making delicious homemade candy during these years, he enjoyed writing fiction and painting in his spare time.

In 2001, David closed up shop and moved to Key West, Fla., but later returned to Martha’s Vineyard. In all his travels, the Island was the one place he considered his true home. In David’s final years, he enjoyed a quiet, private life, working on the maintenance staff of the Vineyard Golf Club.

David will be remembered for his sense of humor, his easy laugh, his honesty, his surprising sensitivity and his inability to be anything but his authentic self. His family will miss him dearly.

Weather permitting (if it’s not raining), several family members will hold an informal memorial picnic in David’s memory with his ashes present. Those who would like to say goodbye are welcome to meet beside the gazebo at Ocean Park in Oak Bluffs on Thursday, August 25 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.