Hilda was born on 9th February 1937 in Brighton. She was the 10th child of Florence and Ted Braden. The large family lived in Chailey Road, Moulsecoombe, Brighton. There were 8 sister and 4 brothers in total.
After attending Varndean School in Brighton, Hilda worked locally in the offices of Hoovers.  She met Tony through his friend Bob who was dating her older sister Marge. Bob and Tony worked together at a grocer’s shop in Brighton at the time.
Hilda and Tony married on 6th Feb 1960 in St Andrews Church, Hove. Hilda moved to Nevill Road, Hove, where Tony and his mum already had a house. Mandy was born in 1964 followed by Tracy in 1966. Hilda spent her time looking after the family until the girls were teenagers.
After this, Hilda joined the Evening Argus and worked part-time with a group of lovely ladies judging the weekly “Cross the Ball” competition. Although the competition eventually stopped, the now good friends still kept in touch over the years.
Tony sadly died from complications following open heart surgery in 2006. Hilda stayed in her much-loved family home in Hove for as long as she could. She was supported by her family and by Bluebird care. In February 2020 she moved to Woodlands care home where she was well looked after until her death on 7th September 2024.

She loved and was loved by so many people and truly had a wonderful life.