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Wilbur Gene Hill

July 27, 1928 - August 14, 2020

Wilbur “Gene” Hill was born July 27, 1928 in Webster City, IA. He was the son of Kenneth and Lila Hill. He graduated from Stanhope High School in 1946 then went on to play basketball at Webster City Jr. College for a year. He was drafted into the U.S. Army stationed at Camp Carson Colorado for nine months before he received medical discharge.

He met the love of his life, Kathryn Jane Swanson, in 1947 and they were married on July 20, 1951 in Dayton, IA. Gene and Kathryn recently celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary. He joined the Iowa Highway Patrol in 1953 and served 40 years retiring as a Lieutenant in 1993. While on the patrol he was in charge of the State Patrol Chaplains Program. Gene was also a founding member and a past President of Ankeny Rotary Club as well as a recipient of the prestigious Paul Harris Fellow Award.

Gene and Kay made their home in Ankeny for over 50 years where they raised their son David. Dave and his wife Angel have three girls who cherished the countless hours of babysitting and entertainment at their grandparents. Aside from loving his granddaughters, making them laugh and feeding them endless amounts of ice cream, his hobbies included spending time with his wife and family, chats with his coffee buddies at their favorite spots (usually where they could get the coffee the cheapest), cheering on his beloved Cyclones, and living out his strong Christian faith in his daily life.

He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers Neel (Thelma), Jim (Betty), and sister Mary (Marvin) Davis.

He is survived by his loving wife Kathryn, son David (Angela) of Ankeny and his three special granddaughters, Olivia (26), Claire (23), and Amelia (17). He is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

Visitation for Gene will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 pm Thursday, August 20, 2020 at Memorial Services of Iowa (4208 N. Ankeny Blvd). A funeral service will take place at 10:30 am Friday, August 21, 2020 also at Memorial Services of Iowa with burial to follow at Linwood Park Cemetery in Boone, Iowa. Please note: the funeral location has changed.

The family wishes to thank all of Gene’s friends and family who visited, called, and sent encouraging cards. We also want to recognize Deb and the staff at the Suites of Ankeny along with the Suncrest Hospice staff for their loving care and support.

To view the live stream on Facebook on Friday, August 21, 2020:
1. Follow this link to the Memorial Services of Iowa page or copy/paste the address into your internet browser: https://www.facebook.com/Memorial-Services-of-Iowa-1634608780157244/
2. ‘Like’ the page. (by doing this you will be able to see on your newsfeed when the livestream starts).
3. On Friday at 10:30 a.m. go to the Memorial Services of Iowa page to view