Obituary of Kay E. Hill

Hill, Kay E. Bay City, MI It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Kay Ellen (Reed) Hill, age 82. She passed away July 12, 2020 at Brian's House with her daughters at her side. She was born August 6, 1937, in Kendallville, Indiana, to the late Harold & Venetta (Miller) Reed. Kay was a graduate of both Montpelier High School & Fort Wayne Business College. She worked for Marathon Oil Company in Findlay, Ohio & at NIPSCO in Hammond, Indiana, to help put her husband Doyle through medical school. In Bay City, she & Doyle ran Santaland; she worked in his offices; and later, did medical transcription for McLaren Hospital. She was a member of Grace United Methodist Church and was also part of a successful decorating business with Mary Parker and Barb Smiley, "Parker, Hill & Smiley". She was an only child & happy to be welcomed into Doyle's family where she gained beloved siblings. Kay was married to Doyle for 16 years & they remained lifelong friends. Surviving are two daughters, Debra (Steven) Glaza & Kim (Michael) Heading; four grandchildren, Kacie (Zack) Berthelot, Kodie (Hilary) Heading, Krystyna Glaza, & Kaitlyn Glaza; two great-grandchildren, Irie Rainn Berthelot & Oscar Paul Heading; sisters-in-law, Ila (Nelson) Simmons, Donna Sue (Gene) Pignataro, and Karen Hill. She was preceded in death by her brother-in-law, Sam Hill; nephews, Tommy Hill & Mark Simmons; and ex-husband, Doyle Hill. Mom was very enthusiastic about playing bridge, & her good friends Bonnie Schneider, Louise Conklin, & Una Parsons, helped her keep playing with a large deck of cards, showing her much patience & understanding. Mom loved going to events with her dear friends from the Saginaw Culture Club who also shared some lively bridge games - especially her "sister-of-the-heart", Kitty (Cahill) Anderson, Mickey Waddell, Ellen Archambeau & Paulette Curry. Special thanks to Bonnie Schneider & Sherri Link for being lovely, longtime friends and for chauffeuring her to many fun events in Saginaw. She & some of the Culture Club members had rousing games & shared many wonderful memories at Kitty's beautiful home on Higgins Lake. She had exciting adventures traveling with her daughter Debbie, to California, Florida, Canada, Mexico, & Italy. Their favorite magical place to go was Mackinac Island. Her daughter Kim, took her on gator rides at her home, let her dogs love on her, took food to her, got her to all of her doctor's appointments, & did all the things necessary for her life to run smoothly. Mom was so happy to have Ila, Sue & Sam, the best in-laws ever. Although blind in later years with AMD and unable to drive, she didn't let it slow her down. She lived alone at home until April 15, 2020. We are grateful to the Council of the Blind, for providing mom with a Pen Friend which helped her adapt to being blind; to the Lansing Visually Impaired Library, which sent her books on a unique tape player to keep up her love of reading; to the Division on Aging, for delivering wonderful meals, news & companionship; to Country Drugs, for their deliveries; to Dial-A-Ride, for keeping her independent; and to Mary Schmittling, for driving from Alger to cut mom's hair & brighten her days. Our thanks go out to the fantastic doctors, phenomenal nurses & support staff at Mid Michigan Medical Center in Midland for the excellent care they provided, and are extremely grateful to Jim Knight and all of the staff at Bangor Medical Clinic, for the kindnesses they have shown her over many years. We have a profound gratitude for the many ways Danny Williams, Robert Ingram, & the caring staff at Active Community Nursing cared for mom, making it possible for her to stay at home…she thought of Danny & Robert as the sons she never had. We are also incredibly grateful to the staff and caring people from Mid Michigan Hospice and Brian's House, for their kindness and compassionate care of mom, making mom's final days peaceful, serene & pain free. She lived a rich life filled with the joy of being with family & friends. We are comforted to know she is at peace and pain free, undoubtedly playing cards in heaven with her dear friends Jan Ruhland, Cheryl Sproull, & Charlotte Pressprich. We love you & miss you mom, but know we'll be reunited with you one day in glorious heaven. Per Kay's request, no services are planned. Those planning an expression of sympathy are asked to consider memorial contributions to Brian's House, 664 W. Nebobish Road, Essexville, MI 48732. To sign online guestbook, visit www.cremationsocietymidmi.com