William Ashby Hitt

William Ashby Hitt (Bill) returned to the arms of our heavenly Father on Sunday, January 21, 2024. He was at home with loved ones and caregivers as he drew his last breath before being reunited with his beloved Shirley Helen Hitt. Born on August 5, 1937, Bill was the youngest son of Raymond Hitt and Mary (Weaver) in Culpeper, Virginia. Early in his life, he worked on the family farm before joining the US Navy at age 16. Proud to serve his country, the Navy allowed Bill to see countless far-off destinations worldwide while traveling on an aircraft carrier. Upon his discharge from the Navy, he moved to Washington, D.C. where he met the love of his life, Shirley Helen Bice. They both enjoyed country-western and rhythm and blues music and despite Bill's creative dance moves, they soon fell in love. They were married on January 1, 1960. Over the next seven years, they had two daughters, Cynthia Lee and Pamela Lynn, and a son, Rance Ashby. They settled in Kensington, Maryland, a beautiful suburb of D.C., where they chose to raise their family. Bill worked for FCS Communications in Rockville as a typesetter for more than three decades. Bowling became a hobby for Bill and Shirley. During the week, the whole family could be found at Tuffy Leemans' Bowling Alley or Wheaton Triangle's Bowling Alley. Bill's kindness to others was boundless, allowing him to make limitless friends during his 86 years. A man of simple pleasures and plain talk, Bill would often regale others with stories from the past or humorous jokes punctuated with his laugh at the end. An avid fisherman and outdoorsman, Bill would drag the family along on camping adventures all along the East Coast, heavily emphasizing coastal sites due to his love of the beach. As Bill was fond of saying, "You can't get any sun inside!" Bill and Shirley retired to Clearwater, Florida where they could enjoy the sun year-round. Golf quickly became his new passion and you could find him on the golf course most days. Bill became a snowbird after Shirley passed, splitting his time between Florida, Maryland, and Milford, CT, where his daughter, Pam, and her family lived, ultimately making Milford his home in 2013. He enjoyed the simple family life, car rides to search for animals, visits to the beach, his favorite golf course, The Orchards, and the many friends he had at the Milford Senior Center. In addition to his parents and his wife, he was preceded in death by his sister Eleanor Shrader, and brothers Robert Hitt and Raymond Hitt. He is survived by his sister, Sarah Heitz, his children Cindy (Scott) Feger, Pam (Shawn) Griffin, and Rance (Denise) Hitt, his grandchildren Joshua Feger, Caleb Feger, William Hitt, Dylan Hitt, Katelyn Griffin, Samuel Griffin, one great-grandson Kanani Feger and his loyal canine companion, Willie.



The family respectfully requests that, in lieu of flowers, a tax-deductible tribute donation be made in Bill's name to the National Humane Society.