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Popular local sportswriter found dead at home

By Howard B. Owens

Brian Hillabush, who spent nearly a decade at  Batavia Daily News building a reputation as a solid sportswriter who cared about the players he covered, was found dead at his home in Batavia this evening.

He was 33.

No cause of death has been determined, according to Sgt. John Peck of the Batavia Police Department.

The coroner referred the case to the Monroe County Medical Examiner for an autopsy.

There was no evidence of foul play nor anything suspecious about his death, Peck said.

Hillabush joined the staff of The Batavian in September 2008 and was sports editor until February 2009 when the original owner of The Batavian, GateHouse Media, ended its association with the site and laid off Hillabush.

Brian had been attending Genesee Community College.

In the past hour or so dozens of messages of condolence have appeared on the wall of Hilly's Facebook page.

Daniel Jones

"Hilly" as we called him here, didn't just cover sports, he enveloped his readers into what was happening wherever he was. Whether that was on the basketball court, football field or any other place where sports was happening. You could count on him to give everything he had for the sake of giving us, the readers, a glimpse of the hard work and dedication that local athletes put into their craft.

I never really knew him personally, we met at a Batavian gathering a few years ago, and after busting my chops for being a Democrat, he and I and everyone else there had a great discussion about life in WNY. One thing was clear, he had a passion for this area. I'm no expert on careers in journalism but I'm willing to bet that with his skill he could have landed a job in his profession somewhere else very easily. He didn't leave. That alone speaks volume of his dedication to Genesee County. We as Geneseeans are worse off without someone so passionate about our area.

RIP Hilly. You will be missed.

Mar 2, 2011, 11:15pm Permalink
Bea McManis

Brian and I were miles apart in our political views, but that didn't stop us from appreciating and sharing other interests.
Rest in peace, Brian. A bright shining candle burned far too quickly. He will be missed.

Mar 2, 2011, 11:35pm Permalink
sharon wells

I originally started reading the Batavian because of Brian's excellent high school sports coverage. It hasn't been the same since he left. I loved his interviews with the athletes involved. He spent a lot of time talking to the kids and getting to know them on a personal level. He will be missed. RIP.

Mar 3, 2011, 8:01am Permalink

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