June Otterson Hill

June Otterson Hill, much loved mother and grandmother, passed away in Portland, Oregon on Saturday September 20th, 2014. Her warmth, great sense of humor, and insights will be greatly missed. June was born in Portland, on April 3rd, 1925 to Alfred and Bertha Corrodi Otterson and was the third of four children, including Ellen, Wilmur, and Anne, as well as three younger brothers who died in infancy. She graduated from Jefferson High School in 1943 and found her first jobs working the graveyard shift downtown as an operator for "Ma Bell" and for Flowers by Tommy Luke.

Soon after the war, June arrived at the Northeast YMCA one night to give sister Ellen a ride home from work and was introduced to Robert "Bob" Hill, just back from Korea. They quickly hit it off and began their courtship and long life together. Ever the tease, one of Bob's favorite stories thereafter was that June had picked him up and the Northeast Y. Bob and June married in 1949, and June made their first home and worked as a dental assistant in Corvallis while Bob was completing his business degree at Oregon State College.

Three daughters were born between 1951 and 1954 and raised in the Hills' comfortable home in Portland. "The girls" were lucky to have a mom who didn't work outside the home and was active in their school and church volunteer activities. Once they reached high school age, June worked as office manager in a nearby medical practice where her warm personality and easy way with people came in handy with the wide variety of interesting patients.

When the grandchildren arrived, June made sure their time together was very special. They adored her and enjoyed sleepovers, day and camping trips, and a variety of activity with "g'ma" and grandpa. Family meant the world to June and she somehow kept track of names and birthdays of four generations of nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was realistic but fiercely loyal to family and loved to share tales of family members past and present. June enjoyed writing and wrote a collection of "Letters from G'ma" in 2005-2006 to capture all of those family stories for future generations.

June was a great cook and baker and enjoyed hosting friends, and family in several homes over the years in Portland; Danville, Illinoi; Gresham; and at Black Butte Ranch near Sisters, Oregon where she and Bob built a house and retired in 1990. They were lucky to have many old friends and to add new friendships as they moved to new places over the years.

Throughout her life, June loved to travel and was always full of ideas for favorite and new places to see, with the occasional misadventure to make things more interesting. She didn't hesitate to throw young kids and parents in the car to visit a sibling or friend, or take a short camping or beach trip. While she loved to travel by car or train, June was a nervous flyer, but she didn't let that stop her from taking trips to new places with Bob when the opportunity arose. During their 58 year marriage they saw much of the US, Canada and many areas in Europe together.

June is survived by sister Anne Nelson; daughters Kathy Frasier (Ron), Judy Driscoll, and Robin Riter; five grandchildren, Mathew (Ann Kristin), Katie (Mark), Carly, Chris and Doug (Brittany), six great-grandchildren, Dakota, Skyler, Haylee, Ella, Jackson and Hanna and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. Husband Bob preceded her in death in 2007.

A private interment for immediate family will be held at Rose City Cemetery on October 18th, followed by a celebration of June's life. Donations to a favorite charity are encouraged in lieu of flowers.

Arrangements under the direction of Ross Hollywood Chapel and Killingsworth, Portland, OR