David H Hill

We sadly announce the passing of our extraordinary and adored father, David Hill, on July 7, 2024 at the age of 97. He spent his last ten days in Corewell Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan surrounded by his fiercely devoted family. Strong and steadfast to the end, as recently as mid-June, he enjoyed walking around his favorite local lake at the Cranbrook Institute.

Dave, fondly known as "Hub" by family and close friends, was the ultimate renaissance man. Brilliant at whatever he put his hand to throughout his life: engineer, artist, writer, problem solver, athlete, fisherman, wordsmith, mentor, friend, husband and father (unfortunately, we cannot include singer). He was one of the most eloquent and articulate speakers many of us have ever known, and his humor was boundless.

David was born in 1927 in London, England. He was adopted by William and Dorothy Hill through an ad in the local paper when he was six weeks old. In 1930, his family moved to Canada for ten years. Some of David's earliest memories include playing outside in Edmonton (but only if it was warmer than -25 C degrees), navigating Vancouver streets alone at age five to visit his father at work. He was thrilled to be able to revisit these areas when daughter Jenny moved to British Columbia. In 1939, his family made the long trip back to England through the Panama Canal on a freighter, just in time for World War II.

Despite extreme poverty, the loss of his father at age 14, and life in WWII England, Dave always excelled in school. He won scholarships to private schools, all while working nights in factories, and catching rabbits to supplement his family's meager income. Like many of his generation, Dave joined the RAF and started training. Fortunately, the war was over before he had to undertake his first solo flight, which would have been challenging due to vertigo from untreated childhood ear infections (he successfully hid this from the recruiter in his eagerness to join).

He tested "best in 1/10,000" in his matriculating exams, earning him a scholarship at the General Motors Institute (GMI) in Flint, Michigan. He arrived at GMI in 1948 hungry to learn and eat, as the war years and subsequent rationing had been grueling.

Through some good fortune, on New Year's Eve 1948, Dave attended a party where the beautiful Joan Yohannan playfully snatched a magazine from his hands and told him it was "rude to read at a party." It was love at first sight. Joan was captivated by his good looks, British accent, and sharp mind, while he was captivated by her wit, beauty and spunk! Just shy of their 70th wedding anniversary, Joan passed away in 2021 with Dave at her side.

Dave and Joan married in 1951 and moved to St. Catherines, Ontario and then to Windsor to work for Ford of Canada. It was in Windsor that they welcomed their three daughters. The family left Windsor for Birmingham, Michigan in 1959, where Dave resumed his nearly 45-year career with General Motors. He started at the GM Technical Center before being placed on special assignment to GM's president. In 1969, he became the manager of information systems at Chevrolet Motor Division, later serving as Executive Director of Planning for GM Service Parts Operations and the AC-Delco Division. He eventually joined GME Overseas Operations, responsible for exports.

Dave was the founder and President of Motors Trading Corporation from 1979 until 1986, during which time the company traded a wide variety of goods and services in more than seventy countries. During this period, he spearheaded GM's entry into the Chinese market. He also served as Executive Vice President of General Motors Overseas Corporation and Executive in Charge of Information Management and Technology (CIO) before his mandatory retirement from GM in 1992.

After retirement, Dave served on several advisory committees for the Department of Defense and was awarded the Distinguished Public Service Medal. He served as consultant in change management and strategic business planning across major corporations, in various industries. He worked on bringing the Stirling engine mainstream and was a managing member of Workfolio LLC until two months before his death. Recognizing the need for comprehensive corporate guidance, he devoted his final years to writing his book on the anatomy of a corporation, a work that was nearing completion at the time of his death. His daughter Linda is in the process of searching for interested publishers.

Hub's long and healthy life was no surprise to those who knew his lifestyle. He never smoked, rarely drank, and exercised frequently. He began jogging in his thirties before it was popular and somehow managed to find a running group where the leader, a cardiologist, would shout to onlookers, "Run for your life." Hub loved to recount being stopped by the police in the 1960s for "running in the streets in white boxer shorts."

Growing up included the sounds of Hub running laps in the basement and hitting the punching bag hanging from a rafter, all before heading to work in the morning. He kept it going, swimming and biking until he couldn't and, up until a couple of weeks ago, taking his long walk around Cranbrook's Kingswood Lake and riding his stationary bike for 40 minutes every day.

A vegetarian at home and adventurous omnivore at other times, he considered himself a "foodie" with passion! As far as we could tell, he never forgot a meal and could describe them in detail to prove it. Fortunately for him, he lived with his chef son-in-law, George, for the last 21 years. George often took advantage of Dave's keen palate to taste-test products in development. In his last few years, his dear friend Jim Shimoura regularly brought him delicacies to savor, always happy to help Dave enhance his vegan diet with a little 'contraband', as Jim called it!

Fishing was more than a sport to Dave; it was his passion. He embarked on 65 yearly fishing trips to northern Canada, often flying into the wilderness by bush plane, far from the reach of meetings and phones. These trips were a highlight of his life. He would return with tales of bears, boats running out of gas, giant mosquitoes, weather nightmares, and fast-moving streams. Over the years, Dave forged lifelong friendships with many of his fisherman buddies, including Art, Stew, Chuck, and Jim, to name a few. In his later years, some family members joined him on these annual fishing trips allowing him to share with them his appreciation for the Canadian wilderness.

Music was another love of Dave's. Arriving in the Detroit area in the 1950s, he immersed himself in the local jazz scene. He and Joan attended as many performances as they could afford, seeing many of the jazz greats of the era live. As a true engineer, Dave became an audiophile, building an elaborate stereo system in his home. Together with Joan, he regularly attended the Detroit Opera, leading to a close relationship with the DiChieras, a friendship he cherished throughout his life.

In the late 1990's, thanks to some extraordinary detective work by his daughter Linda, Dave connected with his birth mother. After the discovery of his birth family, in 2003 Dave met his half-brother, Eric Trigg, and his family from Sydney, Australia, and paternal first cousins in England. Ecstatic to have discovered each other, both having been raised as only children, Eric and Dave remained close until Eric's death in 2015.

One of the greatest joys in Dave's life was the wonderful relationship he had with his family, some he lived with, and others visited frequently (and for long periods!). These visits were filled with delicious meals, laughter, lively political discussions and playful interactions with the many dogs in his life, whom he adored. Dad was proud of our accomplishments and praised us constantly. He supported our interests, providing wisdom and cheerleading, whatever needed. He was our friends' friend, and they in turn, made his life richer, thank you all.

Hub has left a profound void in our lives and hearts. We celebrate him, hope to emulate him, and will miss him dearly. His legacy will continue to inspire all who knew him.

He is survived by his daughters Linda (Andrew Baird) in San Diego, CA, Sara (George Vutetakis), in Bloomfield Hills, MI, who was his constant companion, caregiver, and best listener, and Jennifer (Marc Brillinger) in Kelowna, BC; and loving grandchildren Nancy (David), Sara (Luke), Graeme (Jaimie), and Spyros (Margaret); great-grandsons Oscar, Emile, Malcolm, Lyle, and George; and granddog Parsley.

The family will be holding a private, intimate ceremony to honor Dave's memory. They appreciate your understanding and respect for their privacy during this time. For those who would like to honor Dave in a meaningful way, they might consider making a contribution to the Cranbrook Institute, a place he cherished deeply and regarded as a true treasure of our community.Contributions can be made online, and donors will have the option to indicate the gift is in memory of David, at: DiMarco Endowment for Campus Enhancement

https://tinyurl.com/DiMarco-Endowment

Gifts can also be made by check, with a note that the gift is in memory of David, sent to:

Cranbrook Educational Community

Office of Advancement

P.O. Box 801

Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303-0801

DiMarco Endowment for Campus Enhancement: This permanently endowed fund serves to enhance the quality, beauty, and functionality of public spaces on the Cranbrook campus, an area of importance to Dom DiMarco during his 13 years as Chief Operating Officer and President. From restoring stone walls to renovating or expanding planting areas, paths to walkways, and myriad other purposes, this fund supports projects that could otherwise fall outside of typical budget resources yet hold benefit for all people to experience the wonders of Cranbrook Educational Community.