Rachel HILL

1936 - 2022

HILL (McCastlain),

Rachel Louise

Age 85, died Sunday, April 24, 2022, at home in Marlinton, West Virginia, surrounded by

loving family. Rachel and her

husband, Johnny Hill, were long-time residents of Oxford, Ohio, and members of the Oxford

United Methodist Church.

Rachel was born in Fulton, Kentucky, on December 30, 1936. Her father, Morris Sheppard McCastlain of Holly Grove, AR, was a minister who served in the Memphis Conference and later in the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. He also served as an Army chaplain during World War II. Her mother, Bessie Copeland McCastlain, from Windsor, NC, was a teacher for many years.

Rachel's parents met while attending Duke University. Interestingly, Rachel met the love of her life, Johnny Ferguson Hill, of Murfreesboro, NC, while they were also both students at Duke. They were married December 28, 1957. Previously

Rachel had studied at both Maryville College in Tennessee and at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

Rachel would tell anyone that her major role in life was being a mother, a role in which she gave her all and at which she

excelled. From the beginning Rachel had a vision of what a good parent should be – a loving nurturer. She shared that

vision with her husband and together they went about this high calling of being parents. As her children grew she began to take on duties outside the home, first as a church secretary and later as an administrative assistant at Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio. Over the years, Rachel worked with faculty in several areas, including the Departments of Geology, History, and Aeronautics/Physics, as well as with emeritus university president, Phillip Shriver.

As a practiced musician who continued to develop her piano talents, Rachel shared her skills with her daughter, practiced long hours with her husband - a church soloist, and accompanied her husband and three sons who formed a very active male quartet. Later in life, Rachel often took the role as

substitute pianist at Marlinton (WV) United Methodist Church, where the congregation warmly supported her efforts to

contribute to worship.

She is survived by her husband Johnny of Marlinton, WV; daughter Rachel Leigh Foy and husband Greg Foy of York, PA; sons, Jeff (Johnny F. Hill II) and wife Gina of Cincinnati, OH; Fenton and wife Michelle of Boulder, CO; Eric and wife

Jennifer of Cincinnati, OH; and brother, Morris Sheppard McCastlain, Jr, of Lakeland, FL. She leaves many loving and adoring descendants - ten grandchildren, five grandchildren-in-law, and seven great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Elizabeth Josephine Downey.

A memorial service will be held at the Oxford (Ohio) United Methodist Church on June 4, 2022, at 11:00 am, followed by a light luncheon. A private ceremony for the interment of ashes will take place at the Oxford Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital Foundation.