Carole Ann Hill

It is with a heavy heart that the family of Carole Ann Hill of Indianapolis (and formerly of Muncie, Indiana, and Chicago, Illinois) announce her passing on December 25, 2024. She is survived by her husband John J. Hill; her daughter Christina Pippen, son-in-law Jake Ritter and grandchildren Izzy and Jake Pippen, and Cale and Graham Ritter; brother David Langowski, and nieces Ali Langowski and Izzy Langowski.

Born in East Chicago, Indiana, in 1942, Carole Ann was a graduate of Bishop Noll High School in Hammond, Indiana and Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. It was at Ball State that she met the love of her life, John Hill, as an undergraduate in 1961, when John saw her in a crowded classroom and followed her to the local coffee shop. The two maintained a long distance relationship while they both worked in the Chicago area, and then moved back to Muncie when they married and had their daughter Christina in 1971. They moved to Indianapolis in 2019 to be closer to Christina and her family, never missing an athletic event, performance, birthday, or holiday with their beloved grandchildren.

Carole Ann lived a lifetime filled with creativity and style. As a young woman she worked for Trans World Airlines (TWA), marketing their global trips and events, including those at Eero Saarinen’s landmark 1962 TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport. After Christina entered grade school, Carole worked in product design and sales for a giftware company, which brought her closer to their beloved city of Chicago in her travels. Wanting to be closer to home, she took on a project based in her knowledge of gifts and design — creating a new holiday festival in Muncie, The festival of Trees and Light, a fundraiser for the Ball Memorial Hospital Auxiliary. Many who grew up in Muncie treasure memories of the forest of beautifully decorated trees, the Teddy Bear Teas, the Charity Balls, and other events connected with the Festival of Trees that she lovingly planned. Later in her career, she worked for Ball State University as a Social Director and Event Planner for their CICS program, teaching the CICS masters students the social nuances and niceties that she felt they would need to know when entering the workforce as young executives. In her free time she purchased and sold antiques, co-owned a bridal studio and floral shop, helped with countless events for friends and Psi Iota Xi, and volunteered at the Bargain Box, which benefitted greatly from her voracious appetite for beautiful things. While Carole Ann eventually retired, she seldom slowed down, even when pulmonary fibrosis took her freedom and mobility.

While these career achievements are vital to who she was in this world, her greatest legacy is the amount of attention and love she lavished on her friends and family; her most cherished roles were that of mother and grandmother, wife, sister, and friend. When you were loved by Carole Ann you were bestowed with a whirlwind of affection, attention, and gifts. She always seemed to know what you needed, what you wanted, and would give freely of both. She unquestioningly gave you her her time and talent as well. She was a person to be counted on in any situation, no matter what the circumstances were. It is not lost on those that knew her that she passed on the most extravagant, exuberant, and — most importantly — giving of holidays.

A celebration will be held at the Gothic Chapel of Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis on January 18, 2025 from 4:00-6:00. In lieu of sending flowers, Carole Ann would implore you to do something frivolous and fancy for yourself or your loved ones instead. Those wishing to make a monetary contribution in her honor can do so to the Carole Ann Hill Memorial Holiday Party Fund for Project R.E.S.T. in Spartanburg, SC where her granddaughter Izzy Pippen is a staff member, helping those affected by domestic violence and sexual assault. This fund will be used to host future holiday parties for those families currently staying in their shelter, bringing the magic of the holidays that Carole Ann was so known for to a group that needs that extra sparkle the most. To donate, please use the following link: https://projectrest.app.neoncrm.com/forms/carole-ann-hill-party-fund-memorium