Carolyn and John (Jack) Hill

Carolyn  (nee Cole) Hill’s recent arrival at Westminster Canterbury marks her second move to Lynchburg.  Born and raised in Roanoke, Virginia, she graduated from Northside High School in 1968, and then entered what she recalls as some of the best years of her life--enrollment in Nursing School at Lynchburg General Hospital.  She completed that program in 1971, and immediately accepted a R.N. position in Norfolk General Hospital’s Burn Center.

Jack Hill, also born in Roanoke, Virginia, moved as a baby, along with his family, to Culpepper, Virginia, and graduated from Culpepper County High School.  Under the designation of active duty, he spent one year at the U. S. Army Preparatory School in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and the following year at the U. S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  Jack then qualified for Reserve status and he returned to Virginia to enroll at Bridgewater College, Bridgewater.  In 1971, he graduated with majors in history and political science and also received an honorable discharge from the United States Army

The Hills met when both attended a meeting held at a conference center near Harrisonburg, Virginia.   Marriage followed a few years later on a stormy night in July 1973, at Grace Church in Roanoke amid huge thunderclaps and pouring rain.  They settled into married life in Colorado Springs, where Carolyn continued in her nursing career as a RN working at Memorial Hospital.   Jack obtained employment with SMS Sound Studio and Audio Duplication Services and spent time as a volunteer with The Navigators, Inc., an international and interdenominational Christian ministry, mentoring cadets. After one year, he began a 43-year career with the Navigators, holding a variety of positions with placements first in Colorado, followed by Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas.  He retired from The Navigators in December 2014, and in January 2015 began working with World Outreach Ministries, Inc., an association that he still holds today.

With the birth of their first child, Carolyn briefly put her career on hold while caring for the couple’s baby and managing their household.  Over the next few years, the Hills had two more children.  Today, daughter Stephanie and husband David Drury live in Seattle, Washington; another daughter Jennifer and husband Tom MacLean reside in northern Arkansas, while son John calls Wichita, Kansas, home. The Hills have three grandchildren.  By 1976, Carolyn had earned certification as a Childbirth Educator and worked as such until her retirement in 2010. 

For the past 47 years, the Hills have devoted themselves to personal mentoring and Christian discipleship.  They have accomplished this through their professional careers, as well as assuming responsibilities such as serving as trustees for a charitable foundation.  When they have “spare” time, Jack reads about history, especially that of the Civil War era and has organized and led several tours of Virginia battlefields.  Outdoor activities of camping and canoeing rank high on his list of fun things to do.  Carolyn enjoys attending plays and symphony concerts and can easily settle into reading a good book.  On the other hand, she is always ready to be with others spending time getting acquainted and exploring the possibility of becoming friends.  Jack and Carolyn are committed fans of investigative Bible study, will jump at the opportunity to play Mexican Train Dominoes with friends, and will just as quickly stop everything in order to make time for conversation with others.

 If you need a conversation starter, ask Jack to tell you the history of a family business known as Hill Buggy and Saddle in downtown Lynchburg.