Robert D. Hill, 93, of Yonkers, N.Y. and Ipswich, Mass., died on Friday, December 10 th
at the Kaplan House in Danvers, Mass., after a period of declining health. He was the
loving father of Susan Hill Dolan and Robert S. Hill. Bob had recently moved from his
lifelong home in Yonkers to Ipswich, Mass., to be near his family.
Robert (Bob) was born in Yonkers, N.Y. in 1928 to the late Olive Stewart Hill and
George W. Hill. He had one brother, the late George Stewart Hill of Greenville, N.C. He
graduated from Roosevelt High School in Yonkers and joined the Navy as part of the
Naval Air, serving in the Korean War. Well known for his mechanical talents, Bob did
everything from rebuilding his first car at age 14 to building his own plane in his 20s, to
being the go-to repairman amongst all his friends and neighbors. He also had an
encyclopedic knowledge of old cars, including his beloved 1947 Mercury convertible,
and was a member of the Antique Automobile Society of America.
Bob’s engineering skills ran in the family. His great grandfather was James Stewart
(1825-1911), a prominent builder in Yonkers during the late 19 th century. He had a large
granite quarry on Palmer Road (now the site of Saunders High School) and built St.
Joseph’s Seminary, among other landmarks. Bob joined the Yonkers Historical Society
and enjoyed sharing his family history stories.
In 1955, he began work as a customer engineer for IBM, working on the large mainframe
computers for customers such as Esso, General Motors, and PepsiCo. A perfectionist
with a brilliant mechanical mind, Bob’s meticulous work and patient professionalism
made him a favorite among IBM’s top clients for some 35 years until he retired in 1990.
In 1956, Bob married Joan (Lichtenberg) Hill in Yonkers and they raised their family in
the home on Ramsey Avenue in which he grew up. He remained a devoted husband to
Joan until her death in 1995. In addition to his wonderful marriage, Bob’s keen sense of
humor combined with his love of family and friends lent to his long and happy life.
Bob was a great outdoorsman who had a special love of the Adirondacks. He spent time
there since he was a boy and, for the past 60+ years, co-owned “Camp BillyBob” with his
best friend, William S. (Billy) Vance of Yonkers. There they enjoyed fishing, hunting,
and paddling and would entertain visiting friends as well as the locals who came to love
them. Good storytelling and perfect martinis could always be had at Camp BillyBob.
Bob is survived by: his daughter, Susan Hill Dolan of Ipswich, Mass.; his son, Robert
Stewart Hill, and his wife, Candy Cason, of Evansville, Indiana; his son-in-law, Gerald J.
Dolan, Jr.; and his two grandchildren Ellie Dolan of Salem, Mass., and Reed Dolan of
Ipswich, as well as many nieces and nephews. Bob’s family would especially like to
thank his home caregivers, Leslie Tuckett of Yonkers, and Alice Hill of Mt. Vernon, for
their years of special and devoted care.
A funeral and memorial celebration of Bob Hill’s life will be held on Saturday,
December 18 th , at 11am at Bryn Mawr Park Presbyterian Church on Lockwood Avenue in
Yonkers. Funeral arrangements have been arranged through Yannantuno Burr Davis
Sharpe Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon, N.Y. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts in Robert D.
Hill’s name can be made to: Untermyer Gardens Conservancy, c/o Cathy Michelsen, 945
North Broadway, Yonkers, N.Y. 10701.
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