Raymond Hill:
Obituary
Raymond
Monroe Hill was born on the 21st of July 1925 and passed away on Monday,
the 26th of August 2013. He was the son of George Alfred Hill, Jr. and
Mary Van den Berge Hill. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Ruth
Jerauld Hill Goodpasture, and his son, Raymond Monroe Hill, Jr.
Raymond is survived by the love of his life, his wife of 62 years,
Jerauld (Jerry) May Lollar Hill, two children, Verlinde Vandenberge
Doubleday and Benjamin Harvey Hill, and thirteen grandchildren: Frank,
Wilton, Ridley, Jerry and Mary McLean Goodpasture; Rebekah, Raymond, and
John Hill; Turin Hill Dickman and Mahalie Hill; George, Julia, and
Walker Doubleday. Also great grandson Rhett Marshal Hill.
Hill was born in Houston and was proud to be a fourth generation Texan
and a Son of the Republic of Texas. His great grandfather, James Monroe
Hill, fought in the battle at San Jacinto and his father, George A.
Hill, Jr. was instrumental in the founding of the San Jacinto Museum of
History.
Hill attended River Oaks Elementary, The Kinkaid School, and The
Hotchkiss School in Connecticut. He attended Texas A&M University and
Rice University before joining the Navy to serve his country during
World War II from 1943 to 1946. Hill served in the Pacific theater as
Quartermaster of a landing craft in assault on Iwo Jima. After the war,
Hill continued his education at the University of Houston and, following
in the footsteps of his father and maternal grandfather, he pursued a
law degree and received his L.L.B. in 1951.
A formidable corporate attorney, Hill spent most of his working life
practicing law from his own firm, Raymond M. Hill and Associates. In
1960's Hill began his involvement with the savings and loan industry
which he continued with until the 1980's. He served as President and
Chairman of the Board of Mainland Savings and Loan.
Hill was a visionary leader in the community and was instrumental in
creating the Child Care Council of Greater Houston in 1969, served as
the first Chairman, and prepared the charter and the by-laws for the
organization. He also organized the Harris Child Welfare Unit
(Children's Protective Services) and was able to lead and assist in the
creation of the first AFDC foster care programs of their kind and scope.
Among other noteworthy organizations that he was instrumental in
creating was the Community Welfare Planning Association, and The Post
Oak Family YMCA Center. He served on the Boards of St. Luke's Episcopal
Hospital, St. James House Retirement Center, Glenwood Cemetery
Association, and Houston's United Fund.
He was a devout Christian and was a member of the Church of St. John the
Divine where he served on the vestry and led bible study classes. His
former club memberships included The Bayou Club and The Tejas Club of
Houston.
Hill was an avid gardener and an outdoor enthusiast who took many trips
in his youth to the Chisos Mountains of west Texas with his brother,
George and he braved the uncharted waters of the Concho River of Mexico
with his friends John Graves and Rodman Saville. Hill was passionate
about his family ranch near Victoria, Texas and spent much time there
with his children and grandchildren all of whom he loved dearly.
A memorial service is to be conducted at half-past eleven o'clock in the
morning on Friday the 30th of August, at the Church of St. John the
Divine, 2450 River Oaks Boulevard in Houston, where the Rev. Laurens
Allen Hall, D.D., Rector, is to officiate. Immediately following, all are
invited to greet the family during a reception in the adjacent Sumners
Hall.
Prior to the service, the family will have gathered for a private
interment at Glenwood Cemetery in Houston.
In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests with gratitude
that memorial contributions in Mr. Hill's name be directed to the Church
of St. John the Divine, 2450 River Oaks Blvd., Houston, TX, 77019;
or the San Jacinto Museum of History, One Monument Circle, La Porte,
Texas 77571 |