Betty Jean Hill, age 94, of Hillsboro, died at 6:45 a.m. on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at Eastern Star Home in Macon.
Funeral services for Betty will be held on March 24, at Bass Patton Dean Funeral Home in Hillsboro at 11 a.m. Visitation will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. until the time of service. The Rev. Ivy Gill, minister at Free Methodist Church of Mt. Olive, will be officiating. Burial will be held at Oak Grove Cemetery in Hillsboro.
Mrs. Hill was born on Nov. 28, 1930, in Bensenville to John and Maggie (Hudson) Duffey. She was the youngest of five children, with three older brothers and the eldest her sister, and raised during the Great Depression. She may have been pampered, but she often had to fight for time and attention being so much younger than the rest. She learned early on how to hold her own— she was scrappy, tenacious and never one to back down from a challenge.
On Sept. 17, 1949, she married Clarence Edward Hill in Bensenville and together they built a life centered around love, family and adventure. They had two children and, over the years, an ever-growing circle of loved ones whose lives she touched in countless ways.
In the 1970s, Mrs. Hill worked as a hall monitor at the local high school, earning the infamous nickname “Drill Sergeant.” She took pride in keeping order, a reflection of her meticulous and determined nature.
Church was a cornerstone of her life. Mrs. Hill was a member of the Lutheran Church in Bensenville as well as Calvary Baptist Church in Hillsboro, often attending Sunday services and participating in senior events. She built a strong relationship with Pastor James Palmer. Mrs. Hill was also an active member of the Lions Club and the Order of the Eastern Star, dedicating her time to service and fellowship.
Above all, Mrs. Hill was devoted to family. She never missed a birthday, anniversary or Christmas—her cards always arrived on time, if not early. Planning trips and visiting family across the country was her passion, giving her the perfect reason to convince Mr. Hill to embark on yet another road trip. She was a road warrior at heart.
Mrs. Hill was a perfectionist, persistent and defiant, family-centric and restless, a dreamer and a princess, omniscient and ornery, outspoken and particular. She loved deeply, even if she sometimes struggled to show it. Mrs. Hill was, in every way, unapologetically herself.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Clarence; brothers, John William Duffey, James Emmett Duffey and Robert Duffey; sister, Edna Davis; and granddaughter, Stacey Walvoord and grandson, Jason Bristle.
Mrs. Hill is survived by her children, Donna Bristle of Oakdale, MN, and Pastor Willard (Rocio) Hill of Greater Houston, TX; grandchildren, Joanna Bristle, Julianna (Dan) Daniels, Steven (Stephanie) Hill, Shawnesy (Bruce) Smith, Johnny Bristle and Joe (Claudia) Daniels; great-grandchildren, Kyleigh Gammill, Kacee Strickland, Brayden Bristle, Molly Bristle, Colin Bristle, Abigail Hill, Christopher Hill,Michael Hill, James Hill, Adam Walvoord, Jace Daniels, Addisyn Daniels, Vaeh Smith, Addisyn Smith, Tegan Daniels and Lane Daniels.
