Mary Frances Hill

Mom was born Mary Frances Hearne in Colombia, Missouri on Aug 1 1932 to Emily and Cannon Hearne. She grew up with 2 older brothers, Bill and John. Her father Cannon worked for the Department of Agriculture, as the assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture, traveling the world teaching new farming techniques. He dined with Presidents and Kings. Emily was a homemaker and raised their 3 kids.

Her brothers were hell raisers and Mom was there every step of the way. Bill & John protected her fiercely and on the other hand teased and tormented her continually. Both of her brothers have passed.

Mom got the nickname "Mickey" early in life and kept it to the end. She married Reece Langley Hill in 1950. Dad took care of Mom, he worked 2 jobs, and sometimes 3, so Mom could stay home and raise us. They moved from the East Coast to the West Coast in a station wagon with a U-Haul trailer in 1962 with 2 young boys and an infant, throwing caution to the wind and chasing the American dream.

It was during a very difficult recession, they landed in San Jose, then Martinez, finally settling in Concord, California. That’s when Mom went to work at Concord Community Hospital in the E.R., eventually working the floor as a Unit Secretary for 23 years. They both retired, sold their house, bought an RV and became full time RVers. They traveled the country and in 1990 bought a piece of land in Sunriver, Oregon.

Dad passed away Sept. 6 1991, Mom sold the big RV and bought a cab-over camper for the pick up truck with a car dolly, and continued her RV lifestyle for many years traveling the country alone meeting up with family and making new friends along the way. After several years she put a house on the Sun River, Oregon property and became a snowbird for many years, traveling to Arizona for the winter where she bought a trailer in a nice little park in Brenda, Arizona. Her eyesight became so bad that she had to quit driving about 10 years ago and for 4 or 5 years, I would drive her down to Arizona for the winter and picked her up in the spring.

Seven years ago she moved into Gold Country. She really loved it there and made many friends until her passing on Oct 22 2023. I am proud to say that she was in independent living until the last week of her life. She was a very stubborn and an independent soul, always spoke her mind and always made friends wherever she went, but to us she was Mom. She will be sorely missed.

Children, Douglas, Bob and John in that order