Lainna’s positive and spiritual approach to life was felt by all in her presence. Because she was an intimate follower of her Savior Jesus Christ, she loved people deeply and instantly. She was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Two weeks after their 1974 wedding, Lainna and Joe jetted off to Aberdeen, Scotland, where they lived for two years. Lainna’s “gypsy toes,” as she always said, and Joe’s job in the oil industry also provided them with an adventurous life in cities such as Bogota, Colombia, Denver, Colorado, Tulsa, Oklahoma and Binghamton, New York. They settled in Fort Smith, Arkansas in 2011 to be closer to family.
Besides her deepest passion of loving others and spending time with family, she was celebrated for her life-like painting skills, cooking-up-anything-in-a-minute skills, and singing “Here Comes Santa Claus” while camping in July skills. But come game night, she exasperated everyone in her large family, because she couldn’t be beat. And if you ever went to the family cabin in Colorado, you’d be grateful she was with you. Her passion for fun spilled into every outdoor activity, like horseback or ATV riding, painting hiking sticks and even children’s hands red to attract hummingbirds.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Elmo and Rose Robison and her eldest sister, Raedell Woolsey. She is survived by her husband of 47 years, Leonard "Joe" Hill and their five children: Brad (Lisa) Hill, Kristan (Scott) Gray, Sean (Michelle) Hill, Heather (Nathan) Christensen and Jeff (Beth) Hill;16 grandchildren: Amanda (Milton) Timoteo, Ashley (Ket) Tenney, Chad (Gloria) Hill, Ross Hill; Ryan and Matthew Gray, Haley (Gabriel) Montoya; Austen (Nicole) Hill, Braeden Hill; Ian (Sophia) Christensen, Andrew, Megan and Isabella Christensen; Natalie (Ryan) Popple; Alex and Livia Monge; and eight great-grandchildren: Tesi, Millie and Reeve Timoteo; Jett and Matten Tenney; Ford Hill; Lianne Christensen and Cohen Popple; siblings Tamara (Jay) Smith, Yvonne Wray, Dennis (Amy) Robison and Cheryl (Doug) Burrow; and hundreds of friends around the world.
Funeral service will be 10 a.m., Monday, January 4 at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Greenwood under the direction of McConnell Funeral Home of Greenwood. Viewing will be Sunday from 3 – 7 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be at Kirtland Cemetery in Kirtland, New Mexico.
If you would like to donate something in Lainna’s memory, she was a regular donor to the Wounded Warriors and to various children’s hospitals.
