Darlene Elizabeth Hill

Darlene Elizabeth Hill, beloved daughter and cherished only child of Wrightly C. Salling and Dorothy E. Salling, was born July 13, 1951 to the verdant rolling hills of Gate City, Virginia. She was lovingly raised and doted upon by all who knew her alongside her greatest childhood companions: a blended family including cousin Annette Hines along with Doris Couch and her sweet son, Wrightly Allen Couch.

Darlene lived quite happily in Kingsport, Tennessee for the first half of her life, where she brought forth her greatest work: her beautiful daughter, Marquitta (Marti) E. Kestner; the apple of her eye. Darlene found true joy expressing her love for Jesus through song, by playing the piano, the organ and singing in her rich alto register alongside her best friend Brenda West, her dear friend Lisa West Woody, and her darling cousin Lisa Summey at Good Shepherd Baptist Church in Kingsport, Tennessee, where her father was pastor.

Then Darlene began to hear the call of the ocean, and decided to move herself and her precious daughter to Jacksonville, Florida in 1983, putting her close enough to the beaches she loved that she could listen to the waves break; her constant restoration of peace. It turned out that following her heart led her to her love: Darlene was united in holy matrimony with Michael A. Hill on November 12, 2003. Darlene blossomed in the light of her love, enjoying nothing more than cooking elaborate meals from secret family recipes for her adoring husband and the rest of her family. Somehow, Mrs. Hill also found time to dedicate to cementing her sterling reputation as the most sought-after legal secretary in her community; typing nearly 180 words a minute and casually fluent in shorthand. Darlene rightly took pride in her work and was widely well-respected in her field in addition to being genuinely well-liked. In her leisure time, Darlene was a voracious reader, and indulged her lifelong love and talent for crafting and intricate crochet. She adored watching Hallmark movies, and couldn’t share enough pictures of her beautiful family.

Darlene channeled her passions into the creation of gifts for everyone she loved – tangible evidence of her affection. Her greatest joy came always from giving and making her loved ones smile. A gift of craft, a gift of crochet: these were her ways of saying ‘I love you’ that lasted longer than spoken words. Darlene’s perfect afternoon involved warm Florida sunshine on her face with her toes dipped in the water’s edge at the ocean. But above all else, she treasured her extensive family. In her golden years, Darlene’s great-granddaughter, Ella Flora Blais, was the spark that reignited the fire of her passion for life. And that brilliant flame; that zest for life, burned without wavering, fueled by the love of her devoted husband and her daughter, her dear grandson and great granddaughter and her church family, until Darlene was called home to the Lord on February 27, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida.

Mrs. Darlene Hill was preceded in death by her dearly beloved parents, Wrightly C. Salling and Dorothy E. Salling, and is survived by her husband Michael, her daughter Marti and Marti’s husband Drew, her grandson Caine Blais and his wife Aisha, her great-granddaughter Ella, her dear cousin Tina Michelle Newland, Tina’s husband David, and their son Samuel, her last surviving great aunt Eula Faye Salling, and her closest of many cousins Ina Davis Bowers, Rick Summey, Durand Summey Doran, Lisa Summey, Traci Summey Starnes, Patricia Salling Kilgore, Debbie Class, Catherine Hall, Nancy Puckett and her best friend and cousin Gwen Fields Pope. The impact of her sweet legacy will be forever felt in the lives of those she touched, and she will be missed beyond measure.

In lieu of flowers, it is Darlene’s sincere hope for contributions to be made to Ella Flora’s educational trust: https://www.529egift.org/FL/QpCtWb

A visitation for Darlene will be held Tuesday, March 8, 2022 at 11:00 AM at Hardage-Giddens, Riverside Memorial Park & Funeral Home, 7242 Normandy Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32205. Following the visitation will be a graveside service at 1:00 PM at Riverside Memorial Park, 7242 Normandy Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32205.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hgriversidefuneralhome.com for the Hill family.