James Alexander Hill

James Alexander Hill, 18, died at home Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010, after a brief, sudden illness. Funeral: 11 a.m. Saturday at Living Word Lutheran Church, 2031 W. Northwest Highway, Grapevine. Private interment: Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, where someday his parents will also rest. Memorials: In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Grapevine Public Library or a charity of choice. James was born Easter Sunday, March 31, 1991, in Petersburg, Va., to retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Curtis Hill and retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Roberta Bayliss Hill. His mother immediately called him her "angel baby" because from his very first moments, he was a calm and joyous baby and young child who was easy to care for and easy to raise. Introduced early to the life of a military brat, he met his father for the first time at 3 months of age in June 1991 when Curtis returned from service in the Persian Gulf during the first Gulf War. The family later moved from Virginia to Germany and Kansas, and finally, upon his father's retirement from the Army, came home to his father's Texas roots in 2001, vowing never to leave. He graduated as a distinguished graduate from Carroll High School in 2009 and was a freshman at the University of Texas at Arlington, majoring in computer software engineering. James was a loving and generous soul, with a wide variety of interests. He greatly enjoyed cooking and delighted in sharing his culinary creations with family, friends and co-workers at the Grapevine Public Library. He indulged in all-night computer game sessions with friends, both present and across the globe, fueled by energy drinks, pizza and chips and salsa. He was a voracious reader on a wide variety of topics, and a budding author with poetry and short stories to his credit. He had developed an interest in the fine arts and had created a number of interesting pieces and drawings, some of which were selected for public display. He enjoyed the game Dungeons and Dragons and became a renowned D&D master to the delight of his youngest brother Edward. Edward was always thrilled and proud to play D&D while knowing his brother had the authority to make judgments on the conduct of the game. He was a loving son and a beloved brother and a loyal friend, who will leave a hole in the fabric of our collective soul forever. James was predeceased by his paternal grandparents, Curtis and Ruth Hill of Victoria and Fort Worth; and maternal grandfather, Robert Bayliss of Lexington, Mass. We miss James and grieve his passing most profoundly. As a child of God who was baptized and confirmed, we know he is promised the resurrection and eternal life. Rest in peace, our most precious son, brother, friend. Some day we will meet again. Survivors: His parents, retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Curtis Hill and retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Roberta Hill; brothers, Robert Hill, a junior at Utah State University, Mark Hill, a junior at Carroll Senior High School, and Edward Hill, a fourth-grader at Carroll Elementary School; and devoted rescued dogs, Jackie and Buckie, all of the home. Other family members who grieve his passing include his grandmother, Ella Bayliss of Lexington, Mass.; and aunts and uncles, Wendy Bayliss and Eric Pofcher, M.D., of Brattleboro, Vt., Stephanie Bayliss of Medway, Mass., and Patrick and Marianne Hill of Katy. He also leaves cousins, Miriam, Rosie and Gabriel Pofcher, Sean and Sabrina Feldeisen, Robert and Katherine Whyte, and Kevin and Stephanie Hill of Winterville, N.C., and Jon and Mary Ann Hill of Montgomery; as well as good friends from his high school days, Philip Jones and Patrick Lorden.