Helen Hill

Julia Helen Hansen Hill, age 98, passed away in Orem, Utah, on May 7, 2021. Helen was born in Centerfield, Utah, on February 18, 1923, into the loving home of Charles Savaren Hansen and Mary Alvira Westover Hansen. She was the fourth of six beautiful daughters. She graduated from Gunnison Valley High School as representative girl (valedictorian), then attended Snow College, after which she completed her degree in elementary education at Brigham Young University. She served two years in the Northern California Mission and taught kindergarten in Provo for two years before her marriage to Chester William Hill. She had dreamed of marrying him since taking piano lessons from him as a teenager several years earlier. They were sealed in the Manti Temple on July 1, 1949.

She and Chester first lived in Washington, D.C., where he served as the Director of the Bureau of Information and organist at the Washington D.C. LDS Chapel. They both gave tours to visitors from all over the country and Chester performed concerts regularly.  They then moved to New York City where she supported him in completing his Doctorate of Education at Teachers College at Columbia University. They also lived in Alamosa, Colorado; Provo, Utah; Rexburg, Idaho (where Chester taught at Ricks College until his retirement); and finally settled in Orem, Utah, moving a total of nearly 30 times. They survived the huge Yellowstone earthquake in 1959 and the Teton Dam flood in 1976.

Helen was a talented musician and began serving as an organist for every organization in her congregation (including priesthood meetings) when she was 15. Music was a mainstay in her life and that of her family. She was an avid reader who was knowledgeable in many subjects, and was an excellent seamstress as well.  She made connections with people all over the world through her amazing memory and knowledge of familial connections. She devoted decades of her life to genealogy and family history research and temple work.

She and Chester served together on three full-time missions in Nauvoo, Illinois; Washington, D.C.; and the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. A beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Helen’s life was devoted to her husband and family, her church and community. She became mother and grandmother to many who lived in their home. Some of her favorite memories were of her many travels, including a six-week camping trip to Europe with her husband and all eight children, and time spent performing musically with them. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her.

She was preceded in death by her husband, and is survived by their eight children: Ruth (Michael J.) Hendriksen, Orem, UT; Joyce (Kent M.) Seal, Sandy, UT; David C. (Kathleen) Hill, Fort Worth, TX; Janice (Thomas B.) Dixon, Providence, UT; John C. (Angela) Hill, Orem, UT; MaryAnn (Robert E., Jr.) Parsons, Orem, UT; Richard W. (Yvonne Santa Anna) Hill, Rockville, MD; Jean (Edgie E.) Donakey, Orem, UT. She is also survived by her sister Ardyth Hansen West of Castro Valley, CA. She has 56 grandchildren, and soon will have over 120 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, May 22nd at 1:00 P.M. at the Orem Utah Stake Center, 80 South 280 East, Orem, Utah. A viewing will be held at the Sundberg-Olpin Mortuary at 495 South State Street, Orem, Utah, Friday, May 21st from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. There will also be a viewing from 11:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. prior to the funeral at the Orem Utah Stake Center. Interment will be in the Orem City Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate contributions to the general missionary fund of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in her honor. Condolences may be expressed to the family on this page.

For those unable to attend the services they can be viewed by clicking HERE