Joan Caine Hill

Mrs. Hill was born in 1932 in Somerville, MA, to Edward Whitney Caine and Alexandra Roach Caine, who had emigrated there from Quebec and Newfoundland, respectively.. She was a graduate of Holliston (MA) H.S. and followed her older sister into nursing, receiving her RN from the Massachusetts General Hospital School of Nursing in 1954. That summer she married Richard Hill and moved to Princeton, NJ. She worked as a nurse there before moving to Athens in 1968 with her family, and then at St. Mary’s Hospital, but most recently at the Hypertension Unit of the Clarke County Public Health Clinic. She was for a short time a private nurse to David Lilienthal, Head of the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Atomic Energy Commission.

In addition to her nursing skills, she was a talented artist and studied with Lamar Woods in Athens and with Don Stone and John Whalley in Maine. She was an active member of the Athens Art Association and exhibited at local restaurants, the Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship, and the UGA School of Ecology, as well as having her paintings selected for exhibition at the Lyndon House Arts Center. She was a lifelong learner and enjoyed courses at the University, especially in literature with Betty Jean Craige and Grady Hutcherson and in art with James Herbert and Earl McCutchen. She was a long-time volunteer at St. Mary’s Hospital and at The Ark.

She was fortunate to have a loyal circle of close friends, with whom she painted, played tennis and bridge, had coffee with after exercising at the YWCO, and met for meals. She was unstintingly generous, modest, kind and loving. She loved art, gardening, tennis, her summer cottage in Maine, and most of all her family, and was very proud of the accomplishments of her daughters and their families. She brought light into every home in which she lived and every soul she touched. She endured the last five years of bedridden care with unfailing patience and grace.

She leaves behind her devoted husband Richard of 66 years; four daughters, Julie Fulcher and her husband Lee of Albuquerque, NM; Dr. Sybil Hill and her husband Byron Brooks of Williamston, SC; Holly Hill and her husband Scott Spencer of Seattle, WA; and Ellen Hill and her husband John Godfrey of Rockville, MD; a sister, Sandra Wentzell of Boylston, MA.; eight grandchildren, Tyler Fulcher, Matthew Holt and his wife Ali, Brian Holt and his wife Gabriella, Lucy Spencer, Henry Godfrey, Michael Godfrey, Leanne Moore and her husband Zach, and Margaret Arnold and her husband Cameron; and two great-grandchildren, Adeline and Isaac Holt. She was predeceased by her parents and two sisters, Nancy Caine and Sybil Kellogg.

The family wishes to warmly thank the staff of Homestead Hospice and of Angel Touch and Oconee Area Home Care Services, particularly Geraldine Williams, as well as private duty caregivers, for their compassionate care.

A memorial service is planned for a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to The Ark, the ACCA Meals on Wheels program, or any charity of the donor’s choice.

Bernstein Funeral Home is in charge of funeral arrangements.