Obituary of Edward Lewis Hill EDWARD LEWIS HILL Virginian-Pilot, The (Norfolk, VA) - August 22, 2004 Edward Lewis Hill, 85, of Cape Henry Ave., died Aug. 19, 2004. His wife of 55 years, Alice Cutchins Hill and their son, Donald E. Hill Sr., predeceased him. Ed was a member of Ferebee-Halstead UMC for more than 40 years. Born in Southampton County, Va. on July 29, 1919, to the late Willie Hill and Rosa Virginia Butt Hill, he was the youngest and last survivor of nine siblings. Ed served his country with honor and distinction during and after World War II. Serving in the Asiatic Pacific Theater with the U.S. Army, he was taken prisoner by the enemy at the fall of Corregidor in May 1942. Known as "Little Red" by his comrades, he remained a POW for more than three years at Cabanatuan, The Phillipines. He was so ill that he was twice moved to the feared "zero ward where the dying prisoners spent their final days. Ed finished his career with the U.S. Air Force, and retired in 1962 with more than 20 years total military service. During his career he received many distinguished honors, among them the Phillipine Defense Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster; Purple Heart; Army Distinguished Service Cross; Asiatic Pacific Service medal; Army Commendation medal; Prisoner of War medal; and the World War II American Campaign Medal. After retiring from active military service, Ed worked in Federal civil service as a military policeman, and was a member of the Fraternal Order of Police. He was also an active member in the VFW, American Legion, Disabled American Veterans Chapter 4, American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor, Retired Sergeants Association and the Hampton Roads Chapter of American Ex POWs. Ed served in many positions of leadership in all of these organizations. Ed always enjoyed socializing with friends, and he and his late wife Alice often attended POW reunions at Fontanna, N.C. He also spoke at many local schools about his wartime experiences. No one held more importance in his life than his family, and he loved spending time with them most of all. His survivors include his daughter, Gloria Spain of Norfolk; two sons, Freddie Hill and his wife Dora of Chatham and Michael Hill and his wife Nancy of Midlothian; daughter-in-law, Shirley R. Hill of Virginia Beach; eight grandchildren, Robert Spain, Richard Spain, Donald Hill Jr. and his wife Lisa, Jeffrey Hill and his wife Esther, Allison Moore and her husband Mark, Amy Hill, April Hill and Jessica Hill; and five great-grandchildren, Jeremy Hill, Chrystal Hill, Douglas Hill, Katelyn Hill and Kendall Moore. A service of remembrance will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday in the chapel of Woodlawn Funeral Home and Crematory, the Rev. Lawrence Stevens presiding. Burial with full military honors in Woodlawn Memorial Gardens will follow. A reception will be held at the funeral home after the graveside committal. Edition: FINAL Page: B6 Copyright (c) 2004 The Virginian-Pilot ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ––– Narrative Summary of the Obituary ––– Edward Lewis Hill died 19 Aug 2004 at age 85. He was born 29 Jul 1919 in Southampton County, Va., son of Willie Hill and Rosa Virginia Butt Hill. He retired from the U.S. Air Force after more than 20 years and later worked in federal civil service. Funeral services were held 22 Aug 2004 at Woodlawn Funeral Home and Crematory, with the Rev. Lawrence Stevens officiating. Burial followed with military honors in Woodlawn Memorial Gardens, Norfolk, Va. ––– Transcript ––– EDWARD LEWIS HILL Edward Lewis Hill, 85, of Cape Henry Ave., died Aug. 19, 2004. His wife of 55 years, Alice Cutchins Hill and their son, Donald E. Hill Sr., predeceased him. Ed was a member of Ferebee-Halstead UMC for more than 40 years. Born in Southampton County, Va. on July 29, 1919, to the late Willie Hill and Rosa Virginia Butt Hill, he was the youngest and last survivor of nine siblings. Ed served his country with honor and distinction during and after World War II. Serving in the Asiatic Pacific Theater with the U.S. Army, he was taken prisoner by the enemy at the fall of Corregidor in May 1942. Known as "Little Red" by his comrades, he remained a POW for more than three years at Cabanatuan, The Phillipines. He was so ill that he was twice moved to the feared "zero ward" where the dying prisoners spent their final days. Ed finished his career with the U.S. Air Force, and retired in 1962 with more than 20 years total military service. During his career he received many distinguished honors, among them the Phillipine Defense Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster; Purple Heart; Army Distinguished Service Cross; Asiatic Pacific Service medal; Army Commendation medal; Prisoner of War medal; and the World War II American Campaign Medal. After retiring from active military service, Ed worked in Federal civil service as a military policeman, and was a member of the Fraternal Order of Police. He was also an active member in the VFW, American Legion, Disabled American Veterans Chapter 4, American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor, Retired Sergeants Association and the Hampton Roads Chapter of American Ex POWs. Ed served in many positions of leadership in all of these organizations. Ed always enjoyed socializing with friends, and he and his late wife Alice often attended POW reunions at Fontanna, N.C. He also spoke at many local schools about his wartime experiences. No one held more importance in his life than his family, and he loved spending time with them most of all. His survivors include his daughter, Gloria Spain of Norfolk; two sons, Freddie Hill and his wife Dora of Chatham and Michael Hill and his wife Nancy of Midlothian; daughter-in-law, Shirley R. Hill of Virginia Beach; eight grandchildren, Robert Spain, Richard Spain, Donald Hill Jr. and his wife Lisa, Jeffrey Hill and his wife Esther, Allison Moore and her husband Mark, Amy Hill, April Hill and Jessica Hill; and five great-grandchildren, Jeremy Hill, Chrystal Hill, Douglas Hill, Katelyn Hill and Kendall Moore. A service of remembrance was held at 2 p.m. Sunday in the chapel of Woodlawn Funeral Home and Crematory, the Rev. Lawrence Stevens presiding. Burial with full military honors in Woodlawn Memorial Gardens followed. A reception was held at the funeral home after the graveside committal. ––– Vital Statistics ––– |----------------------------------------------| | Name | Edward Lewis Hill | | Age | 85 | | Birth | 29 Jul 1919; Southampton County, Va. | | Death | 19 Aug 2004; Norfolk, Va. | |----------------------------------------------| ––– Table of Relationships ––– |----------------------------------------------------------------------| | Name | Relationship | Residence | |-------------------------|----------------------|---------------------| | Edward Lewis Hill | Decedent | Norfolk, Va. | | Alice Cutchins Hill | Wife (predeceased) | — | | Willie Hill | Father (predeceased) | — | | Rosa Virginia Butt Hill | Mother (predeceased) | — | | Gloria Spain | Daughter | Norfolk, Va. | | Freddie Hill | Son | Chatham, Va. | | Dora Hill | Daughter-in-law | Chatham, Va. | | Michael Hill | Son | Midlothian, Va. | | Nancy Hill | Daughter-in-law | Midlothian, Va. | | Shirley R. Hill | Daughter-in-law | Virginia Beach, Va. | | Robert Spain | Grandson | — | | Richard Spain | Grandson | — | | Donald Hill Jr. | Grandson | — | | Lisa Hill | Granddaughter-in-law | — | | Jeffrey Hill | Grandson | — | | Esther Hill | Granddaughter-in-law | — | | Allison Moore | Granddaughter | — | | Mark Moore | Grandson-in-law | — | | Amy Hill | Granddaughter | — | | April Hill | Granddaughter | — | | Jessica Hill | Granddaughter | — | | Jeremy Hill | Great-grandson | — | | Chrystal Hill | Great-granddaughter | — | | Douglas Hill | Great-grandson | — | | Katelyn Hill | Great-granddaughter | — | | Kendall Moore | Great-grandchild | — | |----------------------------------------------------------------------| ––– Publication Details ––– |---------------------------------| | Field | Value | |----------|----------------------| | Location | Norfolk, VA | | Name | Virginian-Pilot, The | | Date | 22 Aug 2004 | | Edition | FINAL | | Section | B | | Page | B6 | |---------------------------------| ––– Other Relevant Information ––– • Member of Ferebee-Halstead United Methodist Church more than 40 years • Prisoner of war at Cabanatuan, Philippines during World War II • Retired U.S. Air Force after more than 20 years service • Federal civil service military policeman • Member of Fraternal Order of Police • Member of VFW • Member of American Legion • Member of Disabled American Veterans Chapter 4 • Member of American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor • Member of Retired Sergeants Association • Member of Hampton Roads Chapter of American Ex-POWs • Also known as "Little Red" [See also: www.findagrave.com/memorial/73297077/edward-lewis-hill www.findagrave.com/memorial/73297145/alice_randolph-hill (spouse) www.findagrave.com/cemetery/52732/woodlawn-memorial-gardens ] [Contributed by Bruce Saunders, bs4403@verizon.net Formattinng and references by the Southampton Transcription Project] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may have contributed to the creation of this text. 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