Kimble Hill

Kimble Hill Kimble Hill, our dear father, husband, brother, friend and colleague, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on Monday, March 1, 2010. He was born in Wichita Falls, Texas on September 12, 1952, to Katherine Joanne Douthitt and Vernon Donald Hill. Kimble's spent his first years on the family cattle ranch established by his great-grandfather in the late 1800s in Henrietta, Texas. He was deeply proud of his family history and their strong work ethic. Kimble attended public schools in the Dallas, Texas area. Kimble was fascinated by seamanship and joined the United States Navy on his 17th birthday. He was stationed several places but felt most at home on the USS Ault in Galveston, Texas and on training missions throughout the Caribbean Sea. After receiving an honorable discharge from the Navy, Kimble moved to Austin and found his true home and many important friendships. Kimble left Austin in his early 20s to set off on a number of adventures. Some of his exploits included working as a deckhand on a tug boat in the Mississippi, traveling around the country with only a backpack, and playing bluegrass and sea shanties with many talented musicians. He came back to Texas to care for his grandfather, Troy Douthitt, Sr., when he was suffering from a terminal illness. When Kimble returned to Austin, he embarked on an educational journey which resulted in bachelor's degree in radio, television and film from the University of Texas at Austin. After graduating, he worked on a number of local film projects. He found full-time work at the University of Texas, where he stayed for the next 14 years. After leaving UT, he did some soul searching and found his way to Apple Computer, which consummated an ongoing love affair with all things Apple. He recently returned to Apple, where he mastered the art of technical support. He worked as an Education Advisor for AppleCare at the time of his death. Kimble is blessed with loving friends and partners. He married Anne Wiebe in 1985 and together they created the most amazing and talented child, Beth Hill, who was born in 1988. When Beth began working at Apple in 2007, Kimble felt extreme pride and joy in sharing a workplace and passion for technology with his daughter. Kimble met Willa Rosen in 1997 and they married in an underwater scuba wedding in Cozumel, Mexico in 1999. They lived happily in South Austin until his death. Kimble had an infinite capacity for knowledge and had many hobbies and passions. For the past decade, he volunteered on the Hill Country Flyer, where he trained to be a fireman and brakeman on the engine of the train, fulfilling a childhood desire to work on the railroad. He also was a self-taught maritime history scholar and published several journal articles about scow sloops in the Texas Laguna Madre. He created scratch built scale ship models, several of which are housed in museums across the country. Kimble taught himself to play the guitar, mandolin and the ukulele and enjoyed long jamming sessions with friends and the bluegrass gatherings at Artz Rib House. He enjoyed political activism and was a frequent contributor to the Democratic Underground website. An avid and voracious reader, Kimble had a large collection of historical books and documents and enjoyed travel to historic places of interest. More than anything, he enjoyed spending time with Willa, Beth and their large circle of interesting and creative friends. Kimble did his best to Keep Austin Weird. Kimble is survived by wife, Willa Rosen; daughter, Beth Hill; sister, Donna (Bradd) Schwichtenberg; nephews, Matthew Schwichtenberg and Demetreus DeMarco; nieces, Kate Schwichtenberg, Aurora DeMarco, and Delilah Rose Martin. Other family includes aunt, Sara Douthitt, and cousins, Nan Byrne Dickens, Frank and Cratus Douthitt. The family will be hosting a memorial service on Saturday, March 6, 2010, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Please email for details on the memorial to: willarosen@yahoo.com. The family is requesting that in lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Austin Steam Train Association (ASTA) at 401 E. Whitestone Blvd. Ste A-103, Cedar Park, TX 78613 in Kimble's name.