Virl Lee Hill

1929 - 2024

Virl Lee Hill
Born: September 27, 1929 in Streator, IL
Died: January 18, 2024 in Bourbonnais, IL
Virl "Lee" Hill, 94, of Bourbonnais, IL, passed away unexpectedly on January 18, 2024. Born in Streator, IL in 1929 to Mary "Erda" Burson and Virl Z Hill, he attended Plumb Elementary and graduated from Streator High School in 1947 where he was active in plays and musicals. He attended DePauw University for one year, then graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in marketing and commerce in 1951.
He enlisted in the US Air Force and was stationed in Germany. After his honorable discharge in 1954, he returned to Streator. He initially managed a tire store, then became manager of Virl Z Hill Chevrolet. He served as president of the Streator Chamber of Commerce from 1955-1956. He met his wife Marsha while performing in a production at Streator's Engle Lane Theater. They married in 1962.
Lee and his family moved to Kankakee in 1966, where Lee enjoyed a variety of professions. Most know Lee as the long-time owner of Key City Chevrolet on Court Street in Kankakee. He also served on an advisory group of young Chevrolet dealers with Chicago Motor Division and opened Kankakee's first Datsun, Volvo, and Volkswagen franchises. After 35 years he left the automobile business, purchased the Hemstreet Travel Agency, renamed it Hill Travel, and became an active member of the Midwest association of travel agents. After 15 years in the travel industry, he founded Lee Hill Farms, a successful real estate business. In retirement, he enjoyed teaching evening business classes at Kankakee Community College and Olivet Nazarene University. He was a featured speaker for SCORE, the senior corporation of retired executives. He loved meeting for coffee with anyone who wanted advice on how to start and grow a small business.
Lee was a man of service, mentoring and giving. He volunteered with the Jaycees in Streator; Rotary in Streator and Kankakee and the Kiwanis in Kankakee. He was a 32nd degree Mason in Streator's Masonic Lodge and a member of Toastmasters. He was a member of the Kankakee Chamber of Commerce and Farm Bureau. Lee loved singing, dancing, and playing the piano. He sang in barbershop quartets, musicals at Engle Lane Theatre and Kankakee Valley Theater and the Asbury Methodist Church choir. He and Marsha were active in dance club Quadrille and enjoyed dinners with their "Gourmet Club" of close friends for decades. Lee also loved teaching friends and his children to water ski on the Kankakee River. He never missed Marsha's many theater productions or his children's sports, music, dance, and theater events and enjoyed doing the same for his grandchildren locally and on the west coast.
Lee is survived by Marsha, his wife of 62 years and their three children and seven grandchildren: Virl Z Hill (Nancy), Mercer Island WA and their sons Ryan, Brandon, and Connor; Virl Lee Hill II (Judy), Frankfort IL and sons Virl Lee III and David; and Dr. Emily Meyer (Mike), Manteno IL and their children Natalie and Jacob. Also surviving are niece Jane Kuchefski of Carmel IN and nephew Dr. Craig Hutchinson of Ft Meyers, FL.
A celebration of Lee's life will be held on January 28th at Clancy-Gernon Funeral Home, 295 Main St NW, Bourbonnais, IL 60914, with visitation from 12-3 pm and a service from 3-4 pm. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Kankakee Area YMCA Foundation.
Please sign his guestbook at www.clancygernon.com