Marilyn Hope Hill
founding member of the Riverwind Storytellers, Co
Marilyn H. Hill, 83, formerly of Rosewood Heights, passed away at 9:11 a.m. Tuesday, August 6, 2013 at Fountain View Manor in Granite City.
Born Feb. 15, 1930 in Stotts City, Mo., she was a daughter of Roy and Edna (Moore) King, who both preceded her in death..
She married Jim R. Hill in Wood River on Dec. 21, 1957. He passed away June 26, 1987.
Marilyn worked as a children’s librarian at the East Alton Library and as a Jr. High English teacher for the Roxana school district. She was a founding member of the Riverwind Storytellers and was an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan.
Riverwind members past and present at the memorial service - Mary Lu Bretsch, Barb Driesner, Kathy Schottel, Joy McLaughlin, Marilyn Kinsella and Joyce Reid. The Riverwind Logo quilt design was drawn by Marilyn's late husband, Jim, and was used on t-shirts, sweatshirts, bookbags, programs, vests, and this website many times over.
Survivors include two daughters, Alicia (John) Webb of Benton, Mo. and Lori (David) Kamp of East Alton; 2 sons, Andy (Tracie) Hill of Boise, Id. And Jay Hill of Jasper, Ga.; a daughter-in-law who was more like a daughter, Michele Denton of East Alton; 8 grandchildren, Elijah, Rosie, Amy and Mason Hill, Timothy and Brandon Plummer, and Katelyn and Haley Webb; 6 great grandchildren; and a sister, Elizabeth “Bibby” Kaminsky of Joplin, Mo.
To celebrate her life, a memorial service will be held Saturday, Aug.17 at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Rosewood Heights at 11 a.m. Friends may call between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00, but please don’t wear black. Marilyn loved vibrant colors, and requested everyone wear something colorful.
Memorials may be made to St. Paul’s UMC, 5 A’s animal shelter, or Hospice of Southern Illinois. .
Marilyn requested that she have a Scottish bagpiper play "Amazing Grace." It was a touching end to the Memorial.
Marilyn Hill, Opal Dodd, Gwen Dake, Susan Lucco, and Dot Reiken were five storytellers who traveled to Jonesborough, TN in 1982, and decided to form a storytelling guild later called "Riverwind". Marilyn served as secretary/newsletter editor and president. She delighted the audiences during many Riverwind storytelling gigs - First Night, Witches' Brew, St. Louis Storytelling Festival, Land O Goshen Festival, and many, many more. Some of her favorite stories were Tailypo, The Night the Bear Ate Goompah, Little One Eye, Old Dry Fry, and The Giant's Toe. She had a soft voice with just enough inflection, pauses, expressions, and eye contact to keep her audiences in the palm of her hand. She was the storyteller at the East Alton Library where she told stories to thousands of children who still remember her and her stories to this day - a testament to her powerful stories and her love of language both written and told.
Visitation
Saturday August 17, 2013, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. at St. Paul United Methodist Church
Memorial Service
Saturday August 17, 2013, 11:00 a.m. at St. Paul United Methodist Church
