Rocco & Jezebel for Pets, and all of Brooklyn Heights and beyond, are mourning the loss of Hillary Demetropoulos.
Andrea Demetropoulos, Hillary’s mother and owner of Rocco & Jezebel, shared the sad news that Hillary passed away on July 26, 2018 from Stage 4 non-smoking lung cancer. She would have celebrated her 44th birthday on August 15, 2018.
Hillary was born in Maine and moved with Andrea to New York when Hillary was six years old. Hillary attended St. Ann’s, Meredith Manor (an equestrian school), and St. Francis College where she majored in Biology. She also danced with the Joffrey Academy. Her friends and regular customers of Rocco & Jezebel know, however, that her true passion was for cats and dogs.
Asked about her daughter’s life, Andrea said,
Hillary was instrumental in our business. She was a brilliant woman, genius level, truly. She did TNR (trap, neuter, release) for years and taught herself so much about nutrition for cats and dogs. She changed the lives of pets and their owners, with her advice about how to care for and feed their pets. Some pets have food allergies and Hillary was so good with recognizing them. With her TNR work, she really knew the cats she was adopting out and paired them with certain people who would be good matches. Right now, we’re focusing on finding homes for the seven cats and three dogs she left behind, especially Jeannie and Baby, who are mother and daughter dogs. They have to stay together.
In lieu of a wake, Andrea invites all to attend a party to honor Hillary’s life.
I want to celebrate her life and invite the hundreds and hundreds of people whose lives she touched. She once told me, “If you die I won’t be able to live,” but she died before me. Our relationship was tumultuous at times, but she was my best friend. She finished my sentences. Everybody who knew her knew how kind she was and how giving she was.
Sat., Aug. 18, 2018
1:00 p.m.
Rocco & Jezebel for Pets
89 Pineapple Walk
Brooklyn, NY 11201