AJ Hill

Andre ‘AJ’ Hill was a resilient but stubborn, quiet but tell-it-like-it-is man with a mind filled of love, humor, responsibility, and passion.

He was a discreet genius, from taking advanced classes as a kid to taking apart and putting back together computers and video game consoles to personalize them. As a teenager he picked up various hobbies, like drumming in a band with his friends, going to local rock shows, racing with a team of friends who also had Japanese cars, and BMX biking. However, many of his interests stuck with him from adolescence to adulthood, including: Tekken, Kingdom Hearts, Pokemon, Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, Hot Wheels, cars, Nintendo, Need for Speed, anime, and so much more. He was an avid collector, and loved displaying it all as decor – one look into his room, and you would understand AJ’s character immediately.

Starting at Little Caesars when he was 16, AJ was a tenacious worker – over the course of 16 years, he worked his way through the company to being General Manager, receiving awards for lowest labor in-store and consistently beating sales records. He was a foodie through and through, making crazy pizza combinations at work and always getting his to-go favorites on the way home like Filiberto’s.

In a way AJ kept his kindness a secret, letting small acts of love nearly go under the radar like whispered “I love you’s”, gift-giving, planning spontaneous day trips, and sending memes even when you’re sitting in the same room. He was a man of few words, and although I don’t think he’d admit it, he loved spending time with his family and loved ones, showing us the recent videos he’s seen or music he’s listened to. To meet AJ was to be intimidated by him, but to truly know him was to love him. To be his little sister is to be an imprint of his image. AJ was a son, a brother, a husband, a partner, many things. Above all, he filled the role of a father with adoration and care.

AJ was preceded in death by his grandfather Robert Hill, step-grandmother Cheryl Hill, and cousin Gabriel Castillo. AJ is survived by siblings Ashton Hill and Alexia Hill, parents Stephanie Ludwig and Andre Hill, his step-father Aaron Ludwig, grandparents Gertie Deason, Steve Wallace, and Diane Fields, his ex-wife Rhianna Cruse, girlfriend Amanda Johnson, daughter Abigail Hill.