Helen Maude Hill

Helen Maude (Heal) Hill, 96, of Great Falls, passed away on Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at Benefis Hospital. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, November 14, 2016 at Central Christian Church, 1025 Central Ave. Burial will follow at Highland Cemetery. Arrangements are in the care of O’Connor Funeral Home. Helen was born July 22, 1920 in Great Falls, Montana to Lola Maude and Thomas Henry Heal. When she was six years old, her family moved to Conrad, MT where her dad was a high school science teacher. When she was 18 they moved to Great Falls. She always said she went to Conrad for her education. She attended Great Falls Commercial College. In 1946 she went on a blind date arranged by her cousin, Thelma Francetich. She and Clifford Hill went to the Montana State Fair. They were married December 8, 1946. They had three children, Gary, Dennis, and Louise. Clifford worked for the Anaconda Company and when they went on strike in 1959, Helen went back to work for a lawyer, O.B. Kotz. Later she worked for lawyers, Smith and Emmons, and in 1969 went to work at First Bank – later to be known as US Bank. She retired June 30, 1982. Helen was a very active outdoors person and loved Glacier National Park and camping. When she was a young girl, she hiked the trails with her dad and sister, Lucille. After she got married she carried the love of Glacier to her family. Each summer the family takes many trips to Glacier and does some hiking. When Helen was 80, she went to Many Glacier and hiked to Iceberg Lake. In August 2016, she camped in Glacier for 44 days. She loved traveling, especially to Hawaii or Disneyworld. She loved to walk and enjoyed the West Bank Trail and Gibson Park. She belonged to Central Christian Church since 1938. She was the 2nd grade Sunday school teacher for many years and served as a Deaconess. She was also head of the FISH program for the church. She worked on it from 1977 to present. She always felt she was helping the hungry people in Great Falls. She was a Boy Scout and Girl Scout leader, also. Helen is survived by her sons Gary, Dennis (Delorice); daughter Louise; grandsons Nathan Hill and Roger Hargrove; and granddaughter Jamie Perkins; sister Shirley Peterson; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband Clifford; parents; sister Lucille Brant; and brother Tommy Heal.