Mary Hill

Mary Beth Hill, age 85, passed away on February 5, 2021 after fighting terminal illness for nearly a year. She was born in Enid, Oklahoma in 1935 to Everett and Grace Garnet, and lived in Enid until her graduation from high school where upon she attended OSU and joined the Pi Beta Phi sorority sisterhood with whom she devoted lifelong affiliation and love. She moved to Denver, Colorado in 1972 and worked a lengthy and fulfilling career at State Farm in Broomfield, Colorado for 27 years where she met her husband, James Hill. They married in 1978 and retired to Pagosa Springs, Colorado in 2000. In retirement, she played tennis, contributed actively to Thingamajig Theatre, traveled the world, enjoyed playing bridge, participated in square and line dancing, and cherished spending as much time as possible with family and friends.

Mary Beth was preceded in death by her parents, brother (Merle), and son (Kevin). She is survived by her husband, James C. Hill; her three remaining children Kimberly (Bill), Stephanie (Tim), Brett (Anne), and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren all of whom will dearly miss her as matriarch of the family.

For any who knew her, though, her life summed into a paragraph seems inadequate because she was so much more than words can express. She radiated like a ray of sunshine in any room she walked into bringing with her joy, laughter, smiles, and love. She never spoke an unkind word about anyone and strove to be accepting and kind in every situation. From her shoes and perfectly coordinated outfit to her perfectly fixed hair and nails with not a lipstick line out of place, she brought grace, style, and cheer to every social affair. Fine dining, a good glass of wine, and any excuse to gather with loved ones to eat, drink, and be merry were the driving forces of her life because mostly, Mary Beth loved people. And people loved her. She was that one-in-a million soul that touched more lives than she could ever know, brought light to the lives of countless individuals, and genuinely cared about everyone she spoke to and made them feel like they mattered whether she’d known them for five minutes or forever. It takes courage to live the way she did. May we all take a lesson from her strength and keep her memory alive in the light that we contribute to the world because in the end, we are only the light we leave behind to live on in those we shared it with.

Due to the restrictions of COVID, unfortunately there will not be a service to honor Mary Beth’s life, so we ask that you celebrate her life in your own special way. Her favorite songs were “Wind Beneath My Wings”, “Amazing Grace”, and “Can I Have This Dance”, but she enjoyed listening to all country music and especially Charlie Pride. She loved flowers, too, but with no place to put all such offerings of love and condolence, she asked that you please make a donation to your favorite charity instead.