Nina Jo Hill Yeiser

Nina Jo Hill entered this world in Water Valley, Mississippi on December 17, 1932, the daughter of the late John Davidson and Ella Mae Hunt Hill. After completing high school she received her nurse's training at Baptist Hospital in Memphis--and once she was through raising her children she enrolled in Lambuth University from which she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree. On August 16, 1975 she was united in marriage to Robert H. “Bob” Yeiser.

Her community involvement was as varied as it was extensive and included serving as the chairperson of the Red Cross Bloodmobile as well as a member and chairperson of the Planning and Zoning Board of the City of Savannah. Thanks to her children, she became a Girl Scout leader and PTA President; she also served on the Hardin County School Board, the first woman to be elected to that position. Any spare time she found was spent gardening, a beloved hobby that led her to take classes and achieve the title of Master Gardener, or playing bridge with the Bridge Club in Pickwick.

Nina was extremely active at Pickwick United Methodist Church, serving as the church organist until her death. She had been the Sunday School Superintendent and leader of the Women’s Study Group as well as serving on and chairing the Church Board. It was under her oversight that a scholarship was established and funded through the church.

In addition to her community and church involvement, Nina was active in her chosen profession of nursing, having worked as a nurse for the Carroll-DeBerry Clinic in Savannah. Her knowledge and dedication led to her appointment to the Tennessee Medical Examiners Board as the consumer member, a position she held from 1995-2016, serving as the Vice Chairperson for five of those years. And her political activity certainly cannot be overlooked. Nina helped establish the Pickwick Republican Women's organization and was elected as their first President. Despite her busy schedule, she still found time to open a shop known as “A Woman’s Touch” with one of her daughters--and just a few weeks ago she was considering returning to Lambuth as a student, just because she could.

Nina Jo Hill Yeiser left us unexpectedly on February 13, 2017 at the age of 84 years, 1 month and 27 days. She leaves to mourn her passing her husband of 41 years, Robert H. “Bob” Yeiser, her daughter, Jean Marie Hinton and husband, Tommy and her daughter Annette Hill DeBerry, her sons, Bennett DeBerry and wife, Helen, Joseph DeBerry and partner, Bob Ayers and David DeBerry and wife, Jamie. Nina is also survived by her sister, Jean Hill Staneck and her brother, Billy Hill as well as her three granddaughters, Nina Elizabeth Raffel and husband, Richard, Jennifer Stracener and Sara Liles and husband, Cody and five great-grandchildren, Elijah, Ella, Eva Reece and Eden Raffel, and Asher Liles. She also leaves her stepdaughters Julianne Cole and her husband, Richard and Ginna Wahoff and her husband, David as well as her step-grandchildren Caitlin and Allie Davis and Lily, Jack and William Wahoff.

In addition to her parents, Nina was preceded in death by her grandson, Benjamin Thomas Hinton and her stepson, Robert Yeiser, Jr.

Memorial donations can be made to the Rachel Malone Scholarship Fund, c/o Pickwick United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 28, Pickwick Dam, TN 38365.