Anne Hamilton Hughes Hill

ANNE HAMILTON HUGHES HILL of Dayton, VA, passed away peacefully on June 13, 2022, surrounded by her beloved children, Sharon Hill Price, Steven Hill, Mike Hill, Nancy Hill Hess (Irvin), and Gwyneth Hill Brandt. She led her beautiful, full life with love, grace, kindness and a sense of humor, often commenting, "What would life be like if we couldn't laugh?!" She was known affectionately by many titles including "Mom", "Grandma Hill", "Mrs. Hill", "Adorable Aunt Anne [AAA]", "Queen of Dayton", and "Grammar Police", the latter of which she acquired from a lifetime of instructing on the proper use of "well" versus "good". In addition to her children, she leaves behind one brother, Walwyn Hughes (Betsey); sister-in-law, Patty Hill Burkholder (Bill); grandchildren: Jenny Hill Brown (Robert); Dylan Hill (Skylie); William Hess (Holli); Anne Price McPherson (Andy); Emma Price Gerlach (Robby); Benjamin Hill Price; Evan Brandt, Tom Brandt (Simona) and Jack Brandt; great-grandchildren: Caleb Hill Waugh; Logan and Lucas Brown; Ava and Alex Hess; Paolo Brandt, Lilah and Beau McPherson; and numerous extended family and friends.Anne was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 41 years, Lycurgus Perry "Skip" Hill, Jr.; eldest grandchild, Megan Hughes Hill, sister-in-law Glenna Hill Woodward and son-in-law, David Price.Our mother, Anne ,was born in Hamilton, Bermuda, on January 17, 1930. Her parents, Idwal and Winifred Williams Hughes, moved to Bermuda from Conwy, Wales in 1928 when her father secured a job with the British Civil Service to oversee the construction of roads on the island. Her mother passed away when she was 8 years old, so she and her brother, Walwyn, were raised by their father. Mom wrote numerous memoirs throughout her life, recalling wonderful stories of growing up in Bermuda. At age 19, she decided to study voice and saw an ad for Shenandoah College and Conservatory of Music in Dayton, VA in the back of a Redbook magazine. Little did she know at the time that the College President and his wife, Lycurgus Perry, L.P. Hill, Sr. and Margaret Glenn Hill, would one day be her in-laws. One of her fondest memories was traveling to Dayton only to find that this community had horse and carriages just as her beloved island home. She sensed then that the move was meant to be. She majored in voice with a minor in piano and performed recitals at the conservatory and local churches.Mom met her husband to be on the college tennis courts, where the current Dove Park now stands. When remembering this story she would always add, " He fell in love with my backhand!" They raised their 5 children in Dayton, Va. The family was active in the Dayton Evangelical United Methodist Church where Mom directed the choir and Dad taught Sunday School. The EUB Church would later join the United Methodist Church and Mom continued as choir director and soloist for years. Each Christmas, her rendition of the gospel song, "Sweet Little Jesus Boy" was a congregation favorite.Mom began her teaching career in Augusta County before moving to Rockingham County where she taught for 22 years, primarily at Dayton Elementary School. Upon retirement she and Dad conducted years of genealogy research on the Hill Family before Mom painstakingly handwrote and bound their findings in numerous volumes which have been shared with the family as well as local historical societies.Mom loved singing, reading, teaching, the colors red and purple, anything Winnie-the-Pooh, hot tea, scones, ice cream, Christmas Trees adorned with her large collection of earrings, and ham/pineapple pizza, her favorite dish to "cook" for church and family gatherings. She was a prolific letter writer and recognized the importance of a handwritten note to show people that she cared. Whether to congratulate, thank, wish a speedy recovery, share grief or just because, Mom shared her beautiful penmanship with friends and family alike. She created scrapbooks and collections of letters that trace our day to day family history and will be treasured for years to come. But most of all she loved spending time with her children and grandchildren and would often quip to friends, "Not only do they love me, but they also actually seem to like me!"Mom shared with her family years ago that she would rather be alive to hear people say nice things about her, so the family threw her a surprise "Celebration of Life" for her 85th birthday. What a blast she had on that day, surrounded by family and friends all there to celebrate their love for her.To honor her wishes, the family will have a simple service to remember (honor) her lasting legacy. Pastor Jenny Day will preside over a Memorial Service to be held at Dayton United Methodist Church on Monday, June 27 at 10:30am. The family invites attendees to wear bright colors, and pizza will be provided in the social hall following the service to honor her memory. The family will hold a private interment.The memorial service will be live streamed on Monday, June 27th starting around 10:10 AM ET. At the main page you will see "streaming" in bold on the right upper corner. https://www.daytonumc.net.In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Dayton United Methodist Church, the Rockingham Educational Foundation "Hill-Brandt Family Fund", Shenandoah University Hill Scholarships, or charity of your choice.The family also wishes to say a special thank you to our selfless brother Michael, who took it upon himself to care for our mother after our father passed in 1993; to the compassionate team of women who assisted the family with Mom's care in her final months; and to First Choice Hospice. Your kindness will not be forgotten.