Gregory Steven Filimonuk died on the sunny morning of April 9, 2025, with his wife holding his hand. Greg was born December 4, 1976, in Sacramento, California. At four years old, Greg and his one-year-old sister, Michele, were picked up by their father on Christmas Eve and were expected to be back with their mother on Christmas Day.
Instead, the two children were kidnapped by their non-custodial parent and his new wife, taken away from everyone and everything they knew. Greg was given a new name, Arthur Jameson, his sister was called Shelly. Over the next five years they lived in countless houses in many different towns in several states and never stayed enrolled in one school very long. Greg had many memories from those years gone with his father, none of them good.
In 1985, according to the Los Angeles Times, Greg and his sister were seen leaving with their abductors from a Denney’s restaurant in Dallas, Texas, where their photos were recognized on a missing children’s poster. The father and stepmother turned themselves in and both were charged with kidnapping. Once again, Greg was taken away from everything and everyone he knew, except his sister. They were reunited with his mother in California, but his childhood remained an unhappy one.
In 1992, his mother moved her children from California to Centralia, Missouri, close to relatives who could help with her two teenagers. Greg was new to small town life and was leery and uncertain about what would come next. He was a talented wrestler and built to be a football player, but life kept getting in his way. Once again, he had to be his sister’s protector, getting a job to ensure there was a roof over their heads and food on their table. Greg believed that this was all life had to offer because no one had taught him to dream for more.
Greg finally broke free of his childhood and moved away, living in Alabama, Ohio, and Texas. Along the way, he entered the electrical trade and began making a living and a life. He appreciated the black and white rules of electricity and the right way and wrong way to do the job. He had good mentors who taught him, he took classes that educated him, and the electrical business became a part of who he was.
Greg found his way back to Centralia in 2011, when Stidham Electric offered him a job. Then, in the summer of 2013, he tagged along to a birthday party and there he saw a tall girl with long, wild hair. Hilary lived in Kansas and was back in her hometown visiting her parents. In each other, they found love and joy and wanted to build a life together.
During a family Christmas dinner in 2014, Greg partnered with Hilary’s sister and secretly handed out sealed envelopes to everyone there. In the rental hall, chairs were arranged in a circle and twenty-seven guests were told they were playing a game and their envelopes held clues. Around the circle each person opened their envelopes and read out loud what was written inside. Every card offered examples of why Hilary was so loved. At the end of the circle, Greg was on one knee with no dry eye in the house. Love will do that to you.
The couple wed in 2015, bought a home in Gardner, Kansas, and Greg continued to grow as an electrician. One year later, their son, Ivan Cayne, was born. In the many years that followed Ivan’s birth, Hilary and Greg experienced one great loss after another trying to bring other children into their lives, losses that are mourned to this day. Ivan is the answer to many prayers.
In 2021, Greg and Hilary decided to move back to the small town they had left behind. A place where they could belong, raise their son, be close to family and become small business owners. They opened Man on Wire, L.L.C., specializing in residential electrical services and solutions focusing on serving the good people who lived in the small towns around Mid-Missouri. How he treated his customers set him apart from the competition; he liked to treat them like family. His attention to detail and home safety was noticed and business quickly took off. In 2023, Greg was busy enough to begin planning to expand, but it was not to be.
By the end of 2023, Greg had a nasty cough and became increasingly out of breath and was treated for pneumonia which never seemed to get better. Finally, in March of 2024, Greg was diagnosed with extensive stage small cell carcinoma in his lungs. Greg fought hard for a year but then, he couldn’t fight anymore. He wasn’t afraid of dying, he had embraced and had been baptized in the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of Centralia as a young man and reunited with his faith again before his death. Greg knew where he was going and fell into heaven with his arms wide open, knowing he would be saved.
Greg was a man of few words but did have a few to share. It takes a village to raise a child, something Greg never truly had, and he is counting on his village to help his son grow and learn and be a good person. Greg valued his friendships and hoped that you will do the same.
Greg is survived by his wife of nine years, Hilary (Myers) Filimonuk of Centralia, and beloved son, Ivan, age eight. He leaves behind his mother-in-law, Lorry Myers of Centralia, brother-in-law and friend, Taylor Myers, and Kendra Wooten of Centralia. Sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Mariah and Tanner Littrell of Centralia and their children Via (5), Roman (4), and Tilly (1), all who will miss their Uncle G. Niece Jazmen Groves of Columbia, MO, nephew, Stephen Groves of Centralia, and great-nephew Ahmad Aklan (3) of Columbia, MO. His favored uncle Tom Head and Aunt Sue of Belton, MO along with two long-time friends he considered ‘brothers’, Jason Lyons of Columbia, MO, who stood with him on his wedding day and Matt Smith of Centralia, who he spent a lot of sunny days with, out on the water holding a fishing pole. Also, a spoiled mini poodle named Sammy who will miss Greg’s broad lap and comforting love.
Greg was preceded in death by his respected father-in-law Randy Myers, his wife’s grandfather, Walter Sewell, and his sister, Michele Filimonuk Groves.
A celebration of life for Greg will be held April 19, at 2 p.m. at Spirit Hall, 20650 N Hwy 124, Centralia, MO. A reception will follow. Kids are welcome to come and run and play in the sunshine.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Greg’s memory may be sent to the Centralia Public School Foundation or the Centralia Parks and Recreation’s capital campaign, Growth for the Greater Good. Memorials may be mailed to Fenton-Kendrick Funeral Home, 104 S Collier St, Centralia, MO, 65240
