A.B. “Bill” Hill, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, cousin and friend, died after a long illness on May 8, 2007, in South Charleston.

Everyone who knew Bill can attest to the fact that he was always the man with the largest smile and was one of the most vigorously engaging people-persons they might ever have encountered and that although he felt he was named Athol, he preferred to be called Bill.

The son of Homer and Lily May-Price-Hill, Bill was born June 20, 1920, in Danville. He grew up in West Madison, and attended Boone County Schools. He graduated from Scott High School in 1938, where he was a member of the school’s basketball team and Thespian Society. He was in his sophomore year at Morris Harvey College (University of Charleston) majoring in Business Administration when he joined the United States Navy in 1942, serving aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Intrepid, and later the U.S.S. Franklin. After the end of the war, Bill returned to graduate from Morris Harvey College in 1950.

In addition to his wife Betty, he is survived by his children, Marilyn Joy Hill of Edmonds, Wash., Robert Terrance Hill of Charleston, Thomas Edward Hill of Lynnwood, Wash., Nancy Hill-Foley of Charleston, Susan Hill-Powers of Concord, N.C.; and grandchildren, Todd Hill of Bozeman, Mon., Elizabeth and Julia Foley of Charleston, Connor and Sean Power of Concord, N.C., Karin Sherrard of New York, Eric Pearson of Boston, Mass., Matthew Pearson of Seattle, Wash. His grandchildren Todd Hill and Karin Sherrard are each currently expecting children, the great-grandchildren of Bill.

He was an avid sportsman, an accomplished golfer, a member of Saint Paul United Methodist Church in South Charleston for over 50 years, a Methodist youth leader and a Sunday school teacher for his church. Bill was also a member of the South Charleston Lions Club, the Charleston Rotary Club, and Kanawha Country Club where he could be found pursuing golf with his friends and that award-winning smile after making that good shot. Bill also enjoyed reading, interacting with people and his 46 years of work at Pugh Furniture Company in Charleston.

Bill had a thoughtful and joyous way of engaging life. He was sometimes happy to remain in the background, benevolently allowing others to glisten and was truly celebratory for the good fortune of others. However, he will lovingly be remembered for his extraordinary sense of humor and the ability to make people laugh.

Services will be held on Saturday, May 12, at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 4606 Kanawha Turnpike in South Charleston. Friends may visit with the family from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. The Celebration of Life is planned for 2:30 p.m. Interment will be at Cunningham Memorial Park, St. Albans and a reception will follow. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that friends donate to Hospice, St. Paul United Methodist Church or go out in the warm spring air and enjoy life, especially if you are a golfer, play the best round possible, that’s what would have given him the greatest joy.

Snodgrass Funeral Home, South Charleston, is handling the arrangements
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