John Elwood Hill was born in Arcadia, Nebraska, a town of just more than 700 people, on April 26, 1925, and passed away in Boulder, Colorado, March 17, 2018. His grandparents homesteaded in Arcadia and the farm stayed in the family for more than 100 years. John and his two older brothers worked several jobs in the small town during the Depression years - driving cows and sheep, handling paper routes, and cutting up potatoes for planting. When they weren't working or in school, there were lots of ball games and swimming.
When John graduated from Arcadia High School in 1943, he joined the Navy. After boot camp at Farragut, Idaho, he went to Navy radio school at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, then to amphibious training in Connecticut and New York. He was stationed in Scotland and then southern England. John was part of the D-Day force, serving as radio/telegraph operator on an LCI (Landing Craft Infantry), which delivered men to Utah Beach, then supported the invasion. John was then assigned to a Navy radio station in Plymouth, England, for a year, then to a similar installation in Londonderry, Northern Ireland for another year. During his time in Londonderry, John was part of an honor guard for England's King George and Queen Elizabeth and then-Princess Elizabeth.
After his discharge from the Navy in 1946, John enrolled at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. He renewed his acquaintance with fellow Arcadian Margaret Christ, and in August 1948, after her graduation from Nebraska Wesleyan University, they were married. They moved to Boulder in 1950, and Margaret worked to put John through school. He graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder, in 1952, with a Bachelor of Science degree. He began working at Rocky Flats nuclear facility when it opened in February 1953 and continued working in the Health Safety and Environment departments as an Industrial Hygienist until he retired in 1984.
John and Margaret were charter members of Mountain View United Methodist Church, which was formed in the late 1950s. He was proud of the fact that in recent years, he was likely the only surviving charter member.
John loved being outdoors and looked forward to the coming of spring when he could start his tomatoes from seed before moving them to his DIY greenhouse. His favorite "activity" was sitting on the patio with a dog at his feet. He was always tinkering and inventing things to make life easier. With Statler Brothers or the Gaithers on in the background, John also liked to read and had probably seen every episode of "Gunsmoke." More than once.
John was predeceased by his beloved wife, Margaret (Christ) Hill; his parents, Ray and Alva (John) Hill; two infant brothers, Richard and Robert; and his two older brothers Orvis and Ross. He is survived by his sister-in-law Betty Hill, of Mansfield, Ohio; his daughter Janeen Hill, of Keenesburg; son Alan Hill of Denver, three grandchildren: Hanan Boyd, Tarik Randall, and Grant Hill; three great-grandchildren: Lillian Randall, Marron Boyd, and Rhys Boyd; and by several nieces and nephews and their families. At John's request, there will be no memorial service. A private burial will be held at Green Mountain Cemetery in Boulder.
There will be an open house for family and friends to share memories on Saturday, March 24, from 2-4 p.m. on the AL Patio at Frasier Meadows Manor, 350 Ponca Place, Boulder (South Entrance). In lieu of flowers, John requested memorial gifts to TRU Community Care, 2594 Trailridge Drive East, Lafayette, Colorado 80026, www.trucare.org.
Condolences may be mailed to Janeen at P.O. Box 438, Keenesburg, CO 80643 or to Alan, 2017 W. 67th Place, Denver, CO 80221.
