Cynthia HILL

CYNTHIA HILL, AB, JD, EdM (née Creelman) Of Vancouver, BC, passed away December 13, 2018, at The Cottage Hospice in Vancouver, aged 87. She is missed by her daughters Alice and Jessie; sons-in-law Mark and Nicholas; grandchildren Imogen, Hamish, Elina, Caja, and Alasdair; brother James; cousins Nancy and Anne; nieces Leah and Libby; nephews Mark, Matthew and Andy; her many friends, and valued neighbours. Born June 21, 1931 to Gilmore Brenton and Alice (Miller) Creelman, she grew up in Arlington and Lincoln, Massachusetts with her brothers Brenton and James. Cynthia graduated from Concord Academy and Radcliffe College, Harvard University, followed by degrees in Law and Education at Boston University. In 1957, she married Richard "Dick" Hill and relocated to Toronto, Ontario where they established the Canadian branch of Tetra Pak. In 1963, the family moved to Inuvik, NWT where they became active members of the new community. In Inuvik, Cynthia became an educator, teaching in primary and secondary school and then becoming the Superintendent of Continuing and Special Education for the Western Arctic. She believed that knowledge is power and she worked to empower a generation of Northerners. In addition to her professional life, she established Inuvik's first preschool and, together with Dick, was the moving force behind the creation of the Inuvik Centennial Library. After serving on the Canadian committee for Habitat I (the first UN Conference on Human Settlements which took place in Vancouver in 1976) she was inspired to serve as a Councillor and then as Mayor of the Town of Inuvik. Retiring from public service in 1991, she moved to Calgary where she completed her law qualifications, articling and becoming a member of the Alberta Bar in 1994. Justice and law underpinned Cynthia's view of the world and informed everything she did. Cynthia settled in Vancouver in 1998, combining life with her beloved grandchildren with a varied program of life long learning and a rich community of friends and neighbours. Cynthia brought energy, vision, and enthusiasm to everything she did: parenting and grand parenting, friendship, education, town council, and participating in community life as well as organizations including the Liberal Party of Canada, the Arctic Institute of North America, the NWT Association of Municipalities, and the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women. She was an intrepid woman who recognised the potential in people and organisations and worked to realise their potential. Her life had purpose, energy, and passion. Her memory is a blessing. Honouring Cynthia's wishes there will be no funeral, but we do have permission to organise a "Summer Fête." Jessie and Alice would like to thank the staff of The Cottage Hospice for their kindness and skill and request that in lieu of flowers that donations be made to The Bloom Group: https://www.thebloomgroup.org/Donate/