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Kathryn Hill

May 6, 1930 - January 13, 2021

Kathryn Jane Hill passed away at the Suites of Ankeny on Wednesday, January 13, 2021. A visitation will be 5-7 p.m., Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at Ankeny Memorial Funeral Home (4208 N Ankeny Blvd). Funeral service will be held 10:30 a.m., Thursday, January 21, 2021 at Ankeny First United Methodist Church (206 SW Walnut St.) To view the live stream for Kay’s service please follow this link: https://boxcast.tv/view/kay-hill-memorial-service-ktozfx0t12jdlzifp4yz

Kathryn was born into a Christian home on May 6, 1930 in Boone, IA to Oscar and Mabel (Hulteen) Swanson. All four of her grandparents were Swedish immigrants and settled in Iowa in the late 1800’s.

When Kathryn was two, her family moved to a farm near Dayton, IA, where she received her education and graduated high school in 1948. In Dayton she attended Mission Covenant Church where she came to know Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Following graduation, she attended Iowa State Teachers College for two years, and then started her teaching career. She went on to get her bachelor’s degree from Drake while continuing to teach school in Des Moines. Kathryn’s favorite part of teaching was seeing the children learn, grow, and mature throughout the year.

Kathryn met the love of her life, Gene Hill, in 1947 and they were married on July 20, 1951 in Dayton, IA and celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary in 2020. They moved to Ames, IA where Kathryn taught school until their son David was born in 1963 and she became a stay-at-home mom.

Gene and Kathryn made their home in Ankeny for over 50 years where they raised their son, David and attended Westchester E Free Church. David and his wife Angela have three girls who cherished the countless hours spent at their grandparent’s home. “Grandma Kay” invested a great deal of her time, energy and love into teaching the girls proper etiquette, reading with them, and passing on her cooking and baking skills.

Kathryn was involved in Women’s Club, PEO, PTO, Book Club, Investment Club, White Cross, Bible Study, and volunteering at Methodist Hospital. In her free time, she enjoyed traveling with Gene, lunches with friends and “cruising” at 25 mph with the top down in her red convertible.

She was preceded in death by her loving husband Wilbur “Gene” Hill, her parents, Oscar and Mabel (Hulteen) Swanson, sister, Irene (Al) Lindeman and many aunts, uncles and cousins.

She is survived by her son David (Angela) and the “delights of her life” granddaughters, Olivia (27), Claire (24), and Amelia (17).

The family wishes to thank all of Kathryn’s friends and family who have visited, called, and sent encouraging cards. We also want to thank Deb and Joy and the staff at the Suites of Ankeny, as well as Dr. Shannon Hood and her staff for their loving care and support.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to; Ankeny Dollars for Scholars (3006 NE Briarwood Drive, Ankeny, IA 50021) or the
Ronald McDonald House (1441 Pleasant St, Des Moines, IA 50314)