In Memory Of
William Hill
1923
2016
William Hill
March 4, 1923 — June 2, 2016
William Malcolm Hill, 93, of Columbus, passed away peacefully on Thursday, June 2, 2016 at Monterey Nursing Care in Grove City, from complications of prostate cancer.
Bill was born on March 4, 1923 in Columbus, the son of World War One veteran Clifford Malcolm Hill and Maude Augusta Warsmith. He had one sister, Betty (Chaffin). His earliest childhood memories were of horse-drawn wagons delivering ice and milk to his neighborhood in Grandview. He attended Central High School and bought his first car at age 15, a 1929 Ford Model A with rumble seat, from money he earned as a paperboy for the Columbus Dispatch.
At age 17, during the Battle of Britain in 1940, he wrote to the Canadian government, hoping to join the Royal Air Force and fly fighters. He was politely turned-down for his age. In 1943, now age 20, he tried to join the Army Air Corps but was told he couldn't fly because of a "racing heart." However, the draft found him healthy enough for the infantry, after he said no to the option of joining the navy (Bill hated deep water and couldn't swim), and he became a rifleman, Private First Class, in General George Patton's Third Army, Fifth Division, Second Infantry Regiment.
Bill earned the Combat Infantry Badge and five battle stars to his European Theatre Campaign ribbon. This included Normandy, Northern France, the Rhineland, Central Europe, and the Ardennes. He received the Bronze Star and was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received at the battle of Metz, France in September, 1944. Much later, in 2014, the French government awarded him the Legion of Honor medal for his war service.
After the war, Bill resumed a job at the Defense Construction Supply Center (DCSC) in Columbus, and in 1947 he volunteered for an overseas Defense Department job in Okinawa, Japan. It was there he met another US government worker, Sally Ligayada Carbon, from the Philippines, a survivor of the brutal three year occupation of Manila by Imperial Japanese forces. Bill and Sally married in August, 1951 and would remain married for 54 years until Sally's death in March, 2005. The union produced two sons, Bob and Jim. The family came to Ohio in 1961.
Bill retired from DCSC as a pricing analyst in 1978 with 36 years federal service. He enjoyed a long retirement with many years of fishing and golfing. But this bliss was interrupted with two bouts of colon cancer which he successfully fought.
In recent years it was discovered through genealogy that Bill was a descendant of several patriots of the American Revolution, and that members of nearly every generation since that time has served in the US military. It was also discovered that he is descended from many early pioneers of Ohio, all of whom settled in Fairfield County from 1803 to 1807. Bill is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, and the Sons of the American Revolution.
Bill was a quiet, unassuming man, and did not seek recognition. He did not like to speak of his war experience, but he was fiercely patriotic, loyal, and had great inner strength. He was not unlike many men of his generation who were humble yet so full of courage and quiet resolve, willing to sacrifice so much for the freedom of others and do their duty when their country called.
During World War Two this greatest generation of Americans, 16 million in uniform are now whittled-down by time to less than a million, and they are passing from us at more than 1,800 a day. May our country always hold their memory in the highest regard and honor. May their courage and sacrifice that freed millions from tyranny around the world be an inspiration to our better human nature. May they find rest in God's love and mercy.
Bill is survived by his two sons, Bob and Jim, daughter-in-law Glenda, many nieces, nephews, and cousins. A private family service will be held at Newcomer Funeral Home, SW chapel in Grove City. A public, military graveside service will be held at a future date and will be announced in the Dispatch.
To leave a message of support for the family, go to www.newcomercolumbus.com and click the message button.
Bill was born on March 4, 1923 in Columbus, the son of World War One veteran Clifford Malcolm Hill and Maude Augusta Warsmith. He had one sister, Betty (Chaffin). His earliest childhood memories were of horse-drawn wagons delivering ice and milk to his neighborhood in Grandview. He attended Central High School and bought his first car at age 15, a 1929 Ford Model A with rumble seat, from money he earned as a paperboy for the Columbus Dispatch.
At age 17, during the Battle of Britain in 1940, he wrote to the Canadian government, hoping to join the Royal Air Force and fly fighters. He was politely turned-down for his age. In 1943, now age 20, he tried to join the Army Air Corps but was told he couldn't fly because of a "racing heart." However, the draft found him healthy enough for the infantry, after he said no to the option of joining the navy (Bill hated deep water and couldn't swim), and he became a rifleman, Private First Class, in General George Patton's Third Army, Fifth Division, Second Infantry Regiment.
Bill earned the Combat Infantry Badge and five battle stars to his European Theatre Campaign ribbon. This included Normandy, Northern France, the Rhineland, Central Europe, and the Ardennes. He received the Bronze Star and was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received at the battle of Metz, France in September, 1944. Much later, in 2014, the French government awarded him the Legion of Honor medal for his war service.
After the war, Bill resumed a job at the Defense Construction Supply Center (DCSC) in Columbus, and in 1947 he volunteered for an overseas Defense Department job in Okinawa, Japan. It was there he met another US government worker, Sally Ligayada Carbon, from the Philippines, a survivor of the brutal three year occupation of Manila by Imperial Japanese forces. Bill and Sally married in August, 1951 and would remain married for 54 years until Sally's death in March, 2005. The union produced two sons, Bob and Jim. The family came to Ohio in 1961.
Bill retired from DCSC as a pricing analyst in 1978 with 36 years federal service. He enjoyed a long retirement with many years of fishing and golfing. But this bliss was interrupted with two bouts of colon cancer which he successfully fought.
In recent years it was discovered through genealogy that Bill was a descendant of several patriots of the American Revolution, and that members of nearly every generation since that time has served in the US military. It was also discovered that he is descended from many early pioneers of Ohio, all of whom settled in Fairfield County from 1803 to 1807. Bill is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, and the Sons of the American Revolution.
Bill was a quiet, unassuming man, and did not seek recognition. He did not like to speak of his war experience, but he was fiercely patriotic, loyal, and had great inner strength. He was not unlike many men of his generation who were humble yet so full of courage and quiet resolve, willing to sacrifice so much for the freedom of others and do their duty when their country called.
During World War Two this greatest generation of Americans, 16 million in uniform are now whittled-down by time to less than a million, and they are passing from us at more than 1,800 a day. May our country always hold their memory in the highest regard and honor. May their courage and sacrifice that freed millions from tyranny around the world be an inspiration to our better human nature. May they find rest in God's love and mercy.
Bill is survived by his two sons, Bob and Jim, daughter-in-law Glenda, many nieces, nephews, and cousins. A private family service will be held at Newcomer Funeral Home, SW chapel in Grove City. A public, military graveside service will be held at a future date and will be announced in the Dispatch.
To leave a message of support for the family, go to www.newcomercolumbus.com and click the message button.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of William Hill, please visit our flower store.
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