William Collier Hill

William Collier Hill, 96, passed away peacefully on March 6, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas, with his beloved wife of 73 years by his side. Born in Carrboro, N.C. on November 25, 1928, Collier was the son of William Herbert and Velna Clapp Hill. He graduated from Chapel Hill, N.C. High School in 1949 where he excelled in football, baseball, and diving. He was selected to play in the first North Carolina East-West All-Star football game and played semi-pro baseball after high school graduation. Awarded an athletic scholarship from the University of North Carolina, he played college football until a knee injury his freshman year ended his promising career.

He joined the Air Force in 1950 and, after basic training, married the love of his life, Barbara Anne Brooker, in 1951. He was stationed at Pepperell Air Force Base in St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada during the Korean Conflict. Barbara joined him in Newfoundland where their two sons were born. Following an honorable discharge in 1954, Bill, as he was now called after the military, moved his family to Aiken, S.C. where he got a job with Dupont Corp. working at a highly secure, U.S. government complex that produced key components for the U.S. nuclear arsenal during the Cold War.

In 1960, he was one of the first employees hired by Owens-Corning Fiberglass Corp. for their new plant in Aiken. He and Barbara’s two daughters were born in Aiken. A promotion to furnace supervisor led him to Waxahachie, Texas in 1965. He completed his career with Owens-Corning in environmental compliance, accepting early retirement in 1987.

In retirement, Bill enjoyed golf, often followed by a card game with friends. He enjoyed trips to participate in golf and poker tournaments. An avid runner, he hardly missed a day, until heart bi-pass surgery slowed him down in his seventies. He then took up woodworking – lovingly making treasured wood block sets and boxes for his children and grandchildren.

He and Barbara were long time members of Central Presbyterian Church in Waxahachie until they moved to assisted living in San Antonio in 2022. Bill will be remembered as a good man who loved his family more than anything else. He worked hard and always strived to be fair in all matters. He will be missed by all who knew and loved him.

He is preceded in death by his parents, siblings and grandson, John Brooker Melton, with whom he was especially close. He’s survived by his beloved wife, Barbara; sons, William Collier “Buddy” Hill, Jr. (Nancy), Atlanta, Ga. and Robert Vernon “Bobby” Hill (Mary), Corpus Christi, Tx.; daughters, Sarah Anne Hill Melton (Thomas) of Bulverde, Tx. and Carol Elizabeth Hill Young (Jeff), Houston, Tx.; nine grandchildren, and twelve great-grandchildren.

A celebration of life will be held Friday, July 11, 2025 at 1:00 pm at Dignity Memorial / Sunset North Funeral Home, 910 North Loop 1604 East, San Antonio, Texas, with interment at a future date in the family cemetery plot in North Carolina. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to: Reaching our Neighbors Charitable Foundation, 4137 Jersey Heights Dr., Portland, Tx 78374, or online at fumcportlandtx.org (Memo: Build-a-Home)

The memorial service will be livestreamed and can be accessed through the obituary page which will take viewers directly to the Sunset North Funeral Home facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/SunsetNorthFuneral/) to view the livestream at the time of the memorial service.