Mr. Joe “Ed” Hill, age 98 of Saulsbury, Tennessee, passed away at his home Tuesday, August 11, 2015.
The widower of Mary Marie Hill, who died on June 2, 1998 after 59 years of marriage, he was a farmer and mechanic, and was a firefighter with the Memphis Fire Department for 25 years. He was born July 29, 1917, in Little Rock, Arkansas, son of the late Louis Morphis Hill and Minnie Bell Hill and lived in Searcy for 25 years and in Memphis for 34 years prior to moving here in 1978. A US Army Veteran, he was a former security guard with Methodist University Hospital and loved to grow a big garden and give away a majority of his produce. He was a member of West Memorial Baptist Church where he served as a Deacon, sang in the choir, was part time choir director and even helped build their new church when he was in his 80’s.
Survivors include two daughters, Mary Joe Beatty of Cleveland, GA and Mildred Faye King of Grand Valley Lakes; a son, Thomas Edward Hill of Memphis; a sister, Jeri Mae Howdeshell of Oregon; six grandchildren, Vickie Montreuil, Bobby Joe Richardson and Billy Richardson, all of Cleveland, GA, Linda Sykes of Bolivar, Karin Taylor of Gainesville, GA and Caren Marie Hill of Memphis; 10 great grandchildren; 12 great great grandchildren and ‘one on the way’. In addition to his parents, and his wife, he was preceded in death by a grandson, James King; a granddaughter, Becky Beatty and a great grandchild, Tracy Pendergrast. The family requests memorial donations in Mr. Hill’s name be made to the West Memorial Baptist Church.