John Hill, Granbury resident and a former banker, died peacefully on Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2012. He was 89. Funeral: 11 a.m. Monday, Oct. 8, at First United Methodist Church with the Rev. Neil Norman officiating. Interment: Holly Hills Memorial Park in Granbury. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7, at Wiley Funeral Home. John was born May 27, 1923, in Dawson to Robert and Moneta Hill of Dawson, who owned a tailor shop. After graduating from Big Spring High School in 1941, John enlisted in the United States Coast Guard and served in the Pacific theater of operations in World War II. After the war, he attended North Texas State University, now the University of North Texas, and earned a B.A. in business administration. He married Mary Jo Hill, a native of Granbury, in 1950. The couple lived in Denton until moving to Big Spring, where John worked at Cosden Petroleum Refinery for 25 years. During his tenure at the refinery, John held several positions, beginning as a yield clerk and later promoted to personnel director. In 1968, the family moved to Granbury, where John began his 25-year career as a loan officer, marketing director and member of the board of directors at First National Bank. His love of business led him to become active in commercial and agricultural real estate and resulted in the construction of Granbury's first Wal-Mart, Chili's Restaurant, Braum's, Walgreens, Pecan Plaza, The Estates Retirement Center and many other businesses that brought jobs and tax revenue to the citizens of Granbury. John and his wife of 61 years also donated a building to house the second location for Ruth's Clinic, a non-profit organization that provides free medical and other family services to needy families. John was a Free Mason and was an active member of First United Methodist Church in Granbury. Survivors: Sons, Robert Crawford Hill and wife, Charlotte, of Colleyville and Thomas Kelly Hill and wife, Debra, of Granbury; grandchildren, Brittany Leigh Newman and husband, Johnny, of Granbury, Cole Garner Hill of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Chris Spencer of Granbury; great-grandchildren, Gray Seward of Granbury and Addysyn Spencer of Gilmer; sister-in-law, Diane Schuster and husband, Bill, of Denver City; nephew, Gary Schuster of Gallup, N.M.; and niece, Dana Partin of Colorado City.
Published in Star-Telegram on October 5, 2012