Our beloved sister, Stephanie Michelle Hilburn, passed away peacefully in her sleep, and honestly, none of us are prepared for the hurt and emptiness we're feeling right now.

Michelle was 59 years old, and she truly lived life to the fullest every single day. She was wild-hearted, adventurous, loving, stubborn in the best ways, and fiercely protective of the people she loved. If you knew my sister, then you knew she never did anything halfway. She loved deeply, laughed loudly, defended her family fiercely, and somehow always found beauty in simple things.

Michelle loved nature more than anything. Plants, animals, thrifting, catfishing, walking through the woods, picking blackberries and blueberries, and turning an ordinary day into an adventure. She had a soft spot for every stray animal she ever came across and a heart that was bigger than she ever let on.

Her children, Jimmy and Erica, and grandbabies, Kaliana and Brent, were her world. She loved them with everything she had.

There's something bittersweet about knowing her final day was spent doing exactly what made her happiest. She spent the day in the woods picking wild berries with her boyfriend, Danny, enjoying nature and living life the way she always loved to live it. She went home, went to sleep, and peacefully never woke back up.

Our family is devastated. Losing a sister like Michelle leaves a hole that words really can't explain. I keep thinking about how full of life she was, how she could make something out of nothing, and how she always found a way to keep going no matter what life threw at her.

She was preceded in death by her father, James Reeves. She is survived by her daughter, Erica Salim (Allen Bass, Jr.); son, Jimmy Hilburn (Danielle Schrimpshire); grandchildren, Brent Hilburn and Kaliana Hilburn; mother, Debra Brabham; brothers, Bobby Brabham and Joshua Brabham.