Helen Lucille Hiller

Helen Lucille Hiller, known as Lucille all her life, was born in Lead, SD, to Frank and Helen Roetzel, first generation Americans of German immigrants, on the fifth of April 1922. Soon after, the family moved to a farm in the Limestone region of the Black Hills, where she and her older sister Bertha rode bareback to the Alkali schoolhouse. In 1932, following her Grandfathers passing, the family, moved to the Roetzel homestead and the ride to the Junction school was only 2 miles. She, her sister and four brothers: Carl, Frank, Fred and Arthur, graduated from Custer High School.

In 1937, Our Redeemer Lutheran Church was founded in Custer, and in 1938 a church was built with Frank Roetzel cutting and transporting much of the lumber for its construction, The Roetzel brothers worked on the building project alongside the Hiller boys from town. While a member of Walther League, she fell in love with William L. (Bill) Hiller. In fall 1941, he went to Burbank, CA, to work for Lockheed Aircraft, that December they were engaged and on April 5, 1942, they married. They shared many adventures over the next 77 years, following Route 66 to CA via the Grand Canyon to Burbank, where on February 3, 1943, they welcomed a son, William Gary. They lived in Burbank until March 1944 when she returned to Custer while Bill went into the Navy. In the summer of 1945, she saw him off to the Pacific Theater from Bremerton WA. In March 1946, he returned to Custer in time for arrival of daughter, Karen Lucille, born March 19, 1946. In 1947, Bill enlisted in the Army Air Corps at what is now Ellsworth AFB, with the family remaining in Custer until 1949, when they moved to Rapid City.

In 1954 Bill was sent to Korea and that Thanksgiving, she packed up the family and, despite strong reservations from her mother, traveled by bus and train to Seattle, boarded the USS Billy Mitchell naval transport and joined him in Misawa, Japan, living there for one and a half years. In 1956, the family returned to Ellsworth AFB, in 1960, they transferred to Sheppard AFB, Wichita Falls, TX, and in 1964 to Castle AFB, near Merced CA, where Bill retired from the service. They remained in Merced until their passing, Bill in January and Lucille in August of 2019.

They did everything together, camping, hunting, fishing, traveling, especially traveling. Over the years they visited the Holy Land, Germany, England, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico most of the states in the US. In 1976, they took a year and pulled in their trailer across the south, up the east coast and then across the northern portion of the country, frequently staying with friends from their years in the Air Force. Three times they drove to Alaska, always in some form of RV. Annual trips were made to the Southwest in Winter and crabbing in Coos Bay. Most summers they would return to the Black Hills to attend reunions and catch up with friends and family. This continued until at the age of 93, when they reluctantly stopped taking the travel trailer. From then on, they continued to travel, but by plane.

In Merced, their home for the next 55 years, she kept in touch with many via letter and phone, lamenting in recent years the passing of so many cherished friends. Lucille was very involved in the community, she volunteered at local hospitals for over 40 years, first at Castle AFB hospital and later at what is now Mercy Hospital. She found great joy in caring for young children and spent many hours in the pediatric ward, her focus was forever on the babies. One of her last wishes was to meet the newest member of our family, Great Great Granddaughter Juliet, which she did just two weeks before her passing. She was a faithful attendee of St Paul’s Lutheran Church, teaching Sunday School, attending LWML, singing in the choir and providing a welcoming presence in the church. For the family, Christmas was a big deal, all looked forward to arrival of Grandma Hiller’s Famous Fudge, never duplicated despite many attempts. Her extended family gathered at one home or another for special occasions, always Christmas and Thanksgiving, they were truly joyous experiences, they will never be the same.

She is survived by her son, William and wife Mary, daughter Karen and husband Gary, Sister-in-Law Elma DuChateau of Custer, SD, 7 Grandchildren, 12 Great Grandchildren, 3 Great Great Grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Viewing Sept 6, 4-8 PM at Stratford Evans Funeral Home, Services Sept 7 at 11:00 AM, St Paul’s Lutheran Church, 2916 McKee Rd, Merced CA 95340 with time to share memories and refreshments following. Internment at San Joaquín National Cemetery, Santa Nella, Sept 9 at 11:30 AM.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to St Paul’s Lutheran Church.