Lon Hill

		We lost Lon on March 29, 2023. His obituary from the Corpus Christi Caller Times appears below.

Lon C. Hill IV, age 73, last in a line of Lon C. Hills who were dedicated to the growth and development of South Texas, passed away on March 29, 2023. Despite his Texas roots, Lon IV was born June 16, 1949 in Evanston, Illinois. He visited his grandparents annually at Bayview in Cameron County, and has lived in Corpus Christi since 1995. In 1904, Lon’s great-grandfather, Lon Carrington Hill Sr., founded the town of Harlingen, in Cameron County, at a site originally called “Six Shooter Junction” or “Rattlesnake Junction.” The early Hill family home has been preserved as part of the Rio Grande Valley Museum and the family name has migrated from the former Lon C. Hill Library to the current Lon C. Hill Park. Lon C. Hill, Jr. (known as Mose) was dubbed “Mr. South Texas” in the 1950’s for his role in Valley development and as President of Central Power and Light Company. Lon C Hill III raised his family in the Northeast, but moved back to Corpus Christi as owner of Adcraft Advertising and promoter of the Port of Corpus Christi, the Navy League, and local tourism. Lon Hill the fourth was raised in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Connecticut. He attended Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts during his high school years. He was a Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Williams College in Massachusetts, and received a joint Master’s degree from Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary. He lived in San Francisco, Milwaukee and New York City, before returning to Corpus Christi in 1995. His digital and people skills led him to work in a variety of fields, including teaching, writing, customer service and insurance. But his deepest interest remained in religion. This persisted throughout his life, leading to many wonderful years of involvement as a member of the First United Methodist Church of Corpus Christi. For the past five years, he has delighted in his friends and the staff associates of Brookdale/Trinity Towers. The family is grateful for the truly excellent care received from the extraordinary staff of Holmgreen Skilled Nursing, and for the comfort provided by Harbor Hospice. Lon is preceded in death by his mother Jean Fitch Hill and father Lon C. Hill III. He is survived by: his sister and brother-in-law, Aline Hill-Ries and Stan Ries, nephews Greg and Evan Hill-Ries, great-nephew Jack and great-niece Nellie all of New York; cousins Tomasita Hill Lipe of Los Fresnos, Betty Shepherd of Dallas, Diane Hill Easley of Houston, Dabney Hill of Brookshire, TX and Georgiana Gormley of Sawyer, Michigan.