John David Hill

The time of my departure has come. I am thankful to say I fought a good fight, I finished my race, I kept the faith, and I have gone to claim my promised crown with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. My heavenly Father rescued me from every evil and saved me for His heavenly kingdom. To God be the glory and honor, forever and ever, and ever. Amen!

John David Hill, of Woodway, 85, completed his earthly pilgrimage and took up his heavenly citizenship with God, His Father and his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on January 10, 2023.

Services will be at 10:00 a.m. Friday, January 13, at First Baptist Church, Hewitt, with Rev. Chris Sammons officiating. Burial will follow at Oakwood Cemetery. Visitation with the family will be at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home, 6101 Bosque Blvd., Waco, TX, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Thursday, January 12.

John was born June 20, 1937, Dallas, to Leo K. and Mary Maurine McClurkin Hill.

During his high school years John, as the oldest son at home, managed and operated his mother’s Grade A dairy farm in Direct, Texas. In high school, he was in the FFA and won the Texas State Lone Star Farmer’s Degree, state Dairy Farming Award, and was a State Vice-president. He was also a member of Texas Lone Star Boy’s State, being Chief of the Crime Laboratory. He graduated from Central High School, Sumner, Texas, in 1955.

At his mother’s insistence, John left home for college, working his way through Baylor University, operating the old Hotel Raleigh parking garage. He had no grants or loans, and graduated debt free from Baylor University in 1959.

In August 1959, John met the love of his life, Gloria Ann Thorne, daughter of Hollis A. and Nadine Brown Thorne, of Waco. Gloria was a dental assistant and John a patient with an abscessed tooth; John said he paid for that lost tooth all his married life. They were married in Waco on December 23, 1960. Gloria was John’s sweetheart, wife, lover, mother of their children, best friend, and caregiver until in death did they part.

After college graduation, John attended Navy OCS in Newport, Rhode Island, and was commissioned as a naval officer. He served on active duty in the destroyer navy, followed by Naval Reserve service and retired as a Commander. After active Navy service he began civilian service as a Special Agent with the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI, forerunner of the popular TV series NCIS; John being identifiable with Agent Gibbs), retiring with 33 years federal service at age 50; with an outstanding performance rating and cash award. His regional supervisor noted that, to his knowledge, this was the first time a retiring agent had ever received both such awards. John believed you are best remembered by how you end, rather than how you start. His last months were some of his best investigative months.

In retirement, John worked as a contract agent with several private and federal investigative agencies, including being a covered agent with the CIA. Then opting for a quieter retirement life, he supervised all bank vault currency and coin operations at Bank One, Waco; leaving to supervise the shipping and receiving department of Entre Computer, Waco.

On September 11, 1996, John experienced a miraculous open-heart surgery. While recovering in ICU, he coded, necessitating having his chest opened a second time in ICU by assisting surgeon Dr. Jeff Young.

His primary surgeon, Dr. William Peper, hand massaged his heart for 30 minutes. Normally such massaging is done for ten to 15 minutes, then time of death called. But Dr. Peper, a Christian doctor, would not give up and credited John’s survival as a miracle of God. Dr. Peper called John his “miracle patient.”

About a year after his heart surgery, John was given the opportunity to work part-time as an assistant to the directors at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home, where he worked for eight years, until his health necessitated complete retirement. He had a second open heart surgery on April 6, 2010, giving him his second mechanical heart value, and during recovery he had to be opened a second time due to excessive internal bleeding. Surgical operations were never easy for John.

John received Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior as a child of nine and strove to serve Him all his life. If, as you read this, you do not personally know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, John invites you to pray right now, and personally receive Christ Jesus. And, having done so, John will look forward to greeting you one day, across Jordan on heaven’s shores.

John was always active in his church and denomination. At various times John served as Sunday School Superintendent, Deacon Chairman, and Chairman Building Committee, when the Fellowship Hall and church office complex were built at First Baptist Hewitt. He served on the Finance and Personnel Committees and was a Bible Study teacher for well over 50 years at various churches and at sea. He also served as a choir member, usher, and janitor. He served as District Sunday School Superintendent for the State of Louisiana, Church of the Nazarene, helping Sunday Schools across the state to grow. He was privileged to lay preach, hold lay revivals, and conduct Bible Studies and educational training seminars across the USA. At First Baptist Church Hewitt, John taught Sunday morning Bible study in the Shepherd’s Class for well over 25 years. In his senior years John became a Mentor in the Kid’s Hope Program of his church at the Hewitt Elementary School.

John felt God’s call to become a Gideon June 14, 1966. He served in all local camp offices, held several state offices, including State President, and was privileged to serve six years as an International Officer of The Gideons International, supervising all Gideon activity in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. God gave him the privilege of speaking for The Gideons literally from coast to coast in the USA, and other countries at churches, banquets, retreats, seminars, and conventions. One of John’s former pastors, when asked about his Sunday absences said, “I don’t worry about John, if he’s not here, I know he is somewhere serving the Lord.”

Since May 22, 1996, John has been a member of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels. John was a lifetime member of the Baylor Alumni Association. He was also a long-time member of the Lady Bears Tip Off Club, and season ticket holder to their games. He was privileged to see Kim Mulkey play when she was a student at Louisiana Tech in Ruston, Louisiana.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his older brother, Kenneth Edgar Hill; and younger sister, Linda Maurine Hill.

He is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Gloria; daughter, Sherri L. Carrillo, of Hewitt; and son, David T. Hill, of Hewitt; brothers, Fred M. Hill, and wife, Lisa, of Palm Harbor, Florida, J. Steven Hill and wife, Sherry, of Sumner, Texas, Timothy F. Hill and wife, Delia, of Iloilo City, Philippines; grandchildren, Ashley and Brendan Carrillo and Lauren Hill; two great-granddaughters, Elliet Grace Carrillo, and Olivia James Carrillo; and several beloved nieces and nephews.

Please, it is John’s request, if you feel led to make any memorial donation, make it to The Gideons

International, P.O. 5037, Waco, TX 76708 (Isaiah 40:8).

John Hill Funeral