Reinette Hillis, 59, Hypnotist And Counselor

Reinette Dawn Smith Hillis, a hypnotist, counselor and co-founder of Boxer Bay menswear stores in Seattle and Beverly Hills, Calif., had winning ways of healing and hospitality.

Married 39 years to attorney Jerome Hillis, she enjoyed success in her own right by focusing on people's well-being.

" `Reine' had friends of all kinds from around the world, people she met once in her travels and who later came to stay with her," said her friend Jane Meyer.

"Everything she did, every spiritual practice such as reading tarot cards or crystals, helped her get to a person's spiritual center and improve their life. She herself was stylish, simple and loving. I would call her a universal donor of friendship."

Mrs. Hillis died last Tuesday (Jan. 19) of cervical cancer. She was 59.

Born in Lake of the Woods, Minn., she moved with her family to the Seattle area and graduated from Edmonds High School in 1957. She attended Whitman College, then married, and worked in the admitting room of the University of Washington Medical Center while Hillis studied law at the UW.

"She loved that because she met so many people and learned about healing," said her daughter, Cynthia Hillis of Seattle.

The couple lived a year in Washington, D.C., then moved to Bellevue in 1967. They moved to Seattle's Queen Anne Hill in 1989.

While her children were young, Mrs. Hillis helped organize Olympus School, a Bellevue alternative school. She also served on the board of The Little School and the Washington State Board of Learning Disabilities.

In the 1970s she earned a bachelor's degree in psychology at Antioch University. She became a licensed hypnotist and counselor, using her knowledge of world religions to tailor healing plans for clients.

In the 1980s she helped develop the 98 Union building in Seattle, and, with her daughter, co-founded Boxer Bay, an upscale men's store.

After three years she returned to counseling and nurturing people.

"She had an intuitive sense and an inner peace and calm that drew people to her," Meyer said. "Her door was always open and she was happiest when her home was filled with her eclectic mix of friends."

"She had less unfinished business than anyone I've known," said former Seattle port commissioner Henry Aronson. "She lived hugely in the present and had a very resolved life."

Her favorite retreat was a seaside cottage at Salishan, Ore., where she gathered with loved ones to relax, talk and beachcomb. That is where her ashes will be scattered.

Also surviving are her husband; her sons David Hillis of Seattle and Bradley Hillis of Bellevue; sisters Kay McDonald, Lynnwood; Karen Radford, Seattle; and Marilyn Larrea, Atlanta; brother Thomas Smith, Seattle; and three grandchildren.

Services have been held. Remembrances may go to The Little School, 2812 116th Ave. N.E., Bellevue, WA 98004; Swedish Medical Center Home Health and Hospice, 5701 Sixth Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98108; or Whitman College, 345 Boyer Ave., Walla Walla, WA 99362.