Dedication – to those he loved.

Written by Cindy Hill March 1, 1999.

David Charles Hill was born on May 6, 1935 at his home in Westford, MA. He was the fourth of five children. He went to the Williams Elementary School (K-6th grade) in Auburndale, MA; then went to Warren Jr. High (7th-9th grade) in West Newton, MA. His family moved to Livingston Manor, NY where he graduated with Honors from high school in 1953. His interest in ceramic engineering began there. He went on to Alfred University in Alfred, NY majoring in ceramic engineering and received a BS degree with Honors in June 1957. In 1959 he received his MS degree in ceramic engineering from MIT, Cambridge, MA.

His first job was at Argonne National Laboratory in Argonne, IL. He then worked at Western Electric in North Andover, MA; then Myerson Tooth Co. in Cambridge, MA; then Fenwal Electronics in Framingham, MA; followed by Texas Instruments in Attleboro, MA; and Charles Draper Labs in Cambridge, MA. He opened two of his own companies Omni Materials and MLC (Multi Layer Capacitors) Technologies in Attleboro, MA and Warwick, RI. He finally went back to Texas Instruments before getting sick with kidney cancer of which he died three months after the diagnosis.

He started writing poetry more frequently in 1991. When he worked at TI in Attleboro he often shared his poems with friends on his lunch hour. He became well known in Attleboro and within family and friend circles for his talent. He had a poem called “Queen Anne’s Lace” published in the Sun Chronicle the day before he died.

In 1992 he began to attend a story telling group in Milton, NH. He became very adept at story telling and told them often to his family and grandchildren. He also told one at the wedding of his daughter Stacey, and Tom at the Old North Church in Boston on November 17, 1993. This was the 60th wedding anniversary of his late mother-in-law and father-in-law.

Dave was known for his positive attitude and always looking at the bright side of life. He enjoyed playing golf with his friends and teaching golf to his three daughters, his son and his wife. He had an abundance of patience. He was a hiker and mountain climber, particularly with his son, Doug. He traveled to Germany, Hong Kong, China, Japan, England, Nova Scotia and throughout the United States and Canada.

Camping with his family and dog was on the agenda many times. Even on a trip to Disney World in Florida in February 1978 after the Big Storm.

In high school he ran cross country and track. He was a photographer and enjoyed fishing and canoeing.

Dave was active in church and community activities. He particularly liked singing in church choirs with his tenor voice for 30 years. He was on Christian Education boards and co-taught Sunday School with his wife.

Other interests were the theater, gardening, playing cards, particularly with his family. He won his last game of cribbage from Stacey and Doug at the hospital before he died.

He had a close relationship not only with his wife, three daughters and son but with his brother, three sisters and mother as well as his inlaws. He was loved by family and friends.

Some notes I wrote on September 14, 1994 – four days before he died at Newton-Wellesley Hospital of kidney cancer:

Dave has a very good attitude and a positive outlook. He always has an encouraging word –  a good listener – his laugh – he is a worker, a helper and very thorough. He transferred his creativity from gardening to writing poems and storytelling  and he is a good cribbage player.

Even though he is in pain, he always has a smile to greet us. It’s difficult to see someone you love in pain and not be able to help. It’s the medicine controlling his body and the cancer fighting.

WORDS TO DESCRIBE DAVE – dependable, kind heart, many friends of all ages, good mentor. We want to please this man because he has such a positive outlook on life.

Cancer lying dormant ready to pounce.

THINGS WE DID TOGETHER – wallpapering, movies, choir – He designed two beautiful brick walkways – one in West Boxford and the other in Westboro. We entertained a company family Strawberry Festival with home grown strawberries. Grandparents picked 80 quarts of strawberries Dave planted. The experience of sharing LaMaze childbirthing classes when I was pregnant with Doug. Square dancing.\

“Now you are a storyteller, poet and I also write.”

We planned funerals of parents together; weddings of daughters; opened up our lives to foreign visitors that came and had dinner with our family; and traveling. 

Two wonderful trips to England – one with children, the other the two of us celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. Several west coast trips to beautiful California. Camping experiences – Disney World in Florida after the storm of ’78 and the last one to Horseneck Beach with our dog Ernie in the pup tent on the beach. That was our last one.