Susan Elizabeth Hill

Susan Elizabeth Hill, 88, the loving wife of James Dallas Hill for nearly 65 years, died suddenly on Thursday, March 26, 2026, after a fall at her home in Raleigh, N.C. Susan -- a caring mother, inventive cook, light-hearted mystery novelist, avid bridge player, and Queen Mother to her Red Hat group -- will forever be missed by her friends and family.

Susan was born March 19, 1938, in Glasgow, Montana, to Russell Peck and Elizabeth Christine Hansen Peck. She was the oldest of three adorable, red-haired sisters known fondly as the Pecklets. Her earliest memories began in Fort Peck, Montana, where her father was working with a wartime government project officially described as a dam. The family later moved to Spokane, Washington. In her teenage years, Susan stayed with her grandparents in Seattle, and the rest of the family eventually moved there.

She attended the University of Washington in Seattle, earning her degree in business administration in 1960. That's where, in her junior year, she met Jim Hill, her future husband, who was a dashing Navy ROTC student of production management. She arranged for him to help her study business statistics and, in a daring move, asked him out for coffee. He proposed on January 1, 1961, during a trip to see the Huskies play in the Rose Bowl.

They married on April 6, 1961, and honeymooned for 10 days before Ensign Hill shipped out for a 7-month cruise.

While her husband was away with the Navy, Susan worked various jobs in Seattle. She went to Coronado when the ship docked at San Diego, where the Navy wives could eat dinner in the wardroom on board the Bon Homme Richard aircraft carrier. Afterward, they would play bridge. Some of her fondest memories were of dining at the Officers Club.

They also lived for a time in Bremerton, where Jim would take Susan salmon fishing on Puget Sound.

After Jim joined IBM, they relocated to San Jose, Calif., and had two children: Tracy Elizabeth in 1964 and Eric James in 1965.

Medford, Oregon, was her favorite town among all the places they lived during the IBM years.

She also thrived in Stamford, Connecticut, where she explored her interest in politics. A lifelong Democrat, she had campaigned for Gene McCarthy in 1968. In Stamford, she was active in the League of Women Voters.

In Raleigh, her home since 1979, she stayed busy and built a large circle of friends. She worked as an entrepreneurial caterer, co-founding The Gourmet Group, which often handled luncheons at the North Carolina Museum of Art before it had a restaurant. She later took a job at WRAL with the Tobacco Radio Network, working as operations manager for the locally famous Ray Wilkerson. Best part of that job: Working at the booth every year during the N.C. State Fair. She also played Martha Washington in a radio ad that TRN produced.

She was active in the Raleigh Garden Club and belonged to the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was proud to have two Revolutionary War patriots in her ancestry: Richard Winchester, 1755-1842, CT troops, and Richard Inman, 1751-1831, PA troops).

In retirement, she played bridge, as frequently as possible. Above all, she loved the camaraderie and laughter of a bridge party. She had a gift for making bridge party appetizers.

She took courses in creative writing and created a series of culinary mystery novels featuring great recipes and the character Lee Allbright: "Wolf at the Wedding," "The Mushroom Canape Caper," "Murder and the Low-Fat Substitute." Susan also wrote a more serious book, a memoir of her childhood, "Roomers of War," which focused on her mother's experiences taking in boarders during World War II.

She adored her Red Hat Club friends. Susan was honored to be the Queen Mother of her Red Hat Club, and enthusiastically led the charge, particularly in regards to bridge games and restaurant lunches.

Susan is survived by her husband Jim Hill of Raleigh; her children Tracy Elizabeth Hill of Raleigh and Eric James Hill of Franklinton and his wife Karen Denise Lewis Hill: three grandchildren, Dustin James Hill, Erica LeMay Hill and Sarah Elizabeth Hill Cope; and one great grandchild. She is also survived by her sisters Marian Dykeman of Portland, Oregon, and Claire Copple of Bainbridge Island, Washington.

Brown-Wynne Funeral Home at 1701 E. Millbrook Road in Raleigh, N.C., is handling arrangements. A celebration of her life will be held on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 13. A scattering of ashes over Puget Sound will follow at a later date.