MITCHELL CHARLES HILL

Hill, Mitchell Charles

Early Wednesday morning, December 4th, 2013, Mitchell Charles Hill of Bellevue, Washington died peacefully, surrounded by his family. His death came after a ten month battle with pancreatic cancer; he was fifty-five years old.

Born in San Pedro, California, Mitch grew up in Westminster, California with his family of five brothers and his sisters. Mitch graduated from Westminster High School in 1976, where he met his wife of 34 years, Cherie (Law) Hill. Mitch earned his B.S.in Economics from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Upon graduation, he began a long and prolific career as a technology executive and entrepreneur.

Mitch began his career at the former Arthur Andersen and Company (now Accenture) as a technology consultant. As a Senior Partner (after 20 years at Accenture) Mitch moved on to become the founding CEO of Avanade, a joint venture between Accenture and Microsoft. In his 8 years at the helm of Avanade, he led the company from inception to a top-tier technology firm with 8,000 employees worldwide. What made Mitch a rare executive was the sense of personal connection and trust that he inspired in all who worked with him, regardless of the company's size. Following his retirement from Avanade, Mitch jumped back into the world of entrepreneurship as the CEO of Opscode, Inc. Mitch led the high profile software company through its critical early stages of commercial success before stepping down to battle his disease this year. The legacy of successful companies and even more successful careers launched and led by Mitch will have global impact for generations to come.

Those closest to him remember Mitch not as a titan of the technology industry, but as a passionate adventurer and athlete with a big family, close friends and a fondness for the water. His competitive and disciplined personality was influenced heavily by his years of training at Shotokan Karate. He achieved Ni Dan, a second degree black belt. Later in his life he applied that discipline not only to his work life, but also to his adventures. He was a regular participant in some of the most well-known cycling events in the Northwest including the annual Seattle to Portland, the grueling RAMROD mountain ride and the Seven Hills of Kirkland. He and his family, often with groups of friends in tow, traveled the world to ski, cycle and sail. His relaxation time was usually centered on the water. He grew up living in the waves of Southern California and later spent summers boating on the Columbia River in Quincy, Washington. His intensity was never far from the surface. Anyone who has waterskied with Mitch would recognize a "9" on the "Mitch-Face Intensity Scale" during those aggressive pulls across the wake. In the winter he and his family would follow the water to the mountains. For more than 15 years he was a common fixture in the backcountry snow of Mission Ridge and other ski mountains throughout the Cascades. Beyond his hobbies and career achievements, Mitch was the pillar upon which many families and groups were built. His community of amazing friends and the companies he helped to build are reflections of his caring personality and deep sense of community. He believed, most simply, that what matters is being together and helping one another grow. His absence will be felt by his family members around the globe and from all parts of his life.

Mitch is survived by his wife, Cherie; his sons, Mitchell and Matthew; and his 12-year old yellow lab, Calvin. He also leaves behind his siblings, Mary (Wiley), Michael, Malcolm, Mallory, Mark, Matthew and Melinda (Grance).

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, December 19th at 5:30 PM at The Museum of Flight (9404 E Marginal Way S. Seattle, WA). In Mitch's memory, donations may be made to the Hingorani Lab, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. http://bit.ly/1d0vcDT.