William Grant Hill

William “Bill” Grant Hill, 87, of St. Joseph, passed away Monday evening, February 4, 2008, at Lakeland Regional Medical Center in St. Joseph. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 1:00 P.M., Friday, February 8, 2008, at Kerley-Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph with Rev. Terri Tessari officiating. Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery with Military Rites. Visitation with the family will be held Thursday evening from 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. at the funeral home. Memorial donations may be made to either the Southwest Michigan Humane Society or to St. Peter’s Church in St. Joseph. Friends wishing to share a memory or sign the guest book online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. Bill was born August 1, 1920, in St. Joseph. He was one of nine children born to Otto and Amelia Hill. Bill proudly served his country during WWII. He was assigned to the 87th Engineer Division and served under General George Patton during the Battle of the Bulge. He married Florence Beckman on January 24, 1942, and together they had three daughters. Bill worked for Industrial Rubber which became Chardon Rubber as a Set-up Technician before retiring after 43 years of service. He enjoyed the out doors hunting, fishing, and spending time with birds and animals. As a “master mechanic” Bill could fix anything. He was a long-time member of St. Peter’s Church in St. Joseph. Above all, Bill cherished time spent with his family – particularly with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Bill is survived by his wife, Florence; daughters, Nancy (Robert “Andy”) Neel, Susan (David) Seaman both of St. Joseph and Judy (Gary) Dunlap of Stevensville; three granddaughters, Andrea (Chris) Corteville, Stacey Seaman, and Kiley Marusek; two great-grandchildren, Nikkita Marusek and Brady Corteville; and by his siblings, Otto Hill, Ethel Hayhurst, and Shirley Freyer. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his siblings, Bennet Hill, Sr. and Charles Hill, Sr., Mildred Schmuck, Joyce Hemminger, and Evelyn Stump