Roger Douglas Hill

Roger D. Hill Sr. died peacefully in his sleep the night of July 27, 2014 from cancer-related complications. He was 68 years old. Roger was born Roger Douglas, the second of two children to Marvin and Marjorie Hill on March 31, 1946, in East St. Louis, Illinois sharing the same birthday as his mother. He grew up in St. Louis and attended college at the University of Kansas where he graduated in 1968 with a BA in Personnel Administration. Roger was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and served as fraternity president. He completed the Reserve Officer Training Corps Program and was commissioned into the United States Army as an Air Defense Artillery Officer in 1969. He later attended the Rotary Wing Aviator Officer course, transitioned to the Transportation Corps and earned a senior aviation badge. He served in Vietnam as a Cobra attack helicopter pilot and earned the Bronze Star Medal. He retired from the US Army as a Lieutenant Colonel after over 21 years of distinguished service to the nation earning many awards and medals including the Legion of Merit award and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal.
Roger was a member and elder of the First Presbyterian Church of Adamsville, TN and also attended and held services at the Marl Bluff Presbyterian Church in Reagan, TN. He served as moderator of the First Presbytery of Memphis.
He loved watching St. Louis Cardinals baseball games, Kansas Jayhawks basketball games and PGA Tour golf. He was an avid reader (anything Clive Cussler, Vince Flynn and David Baldacci to name a few). He was a high school soccer referee for over 16 years. He enjoyed studying, collecting and drinking French wines and loved vacationing each year with family and friends at Mexico Beach, Florida (Room 108). Roger is survived by his wife Kathy, his five children Roger D. Hill Jr (age 41) and his wife Allison, Becky Steffen (age 38) and her husband Bryan, Jenny Buffa (age 35) and her husband Matt, Katie Hill (age 23) and her longtime boyfriend Mark Goltry and Corrie Hill (age 21). He had four grandchildren Roger III, Sydney and Grayson Hill (age 8), Philip Buffa (5 months) and one on the way (Colby Steffen due in October).