Eleanor Ann Hill had lived in Hampton for more than 50 years — in fact, that’s where her children, Mike and Renee, call home as did Ann, but she never forgot her Alabama roots.

Ann, one of 10 children, grew up on a farm in rural Alabama, and her father grew cotton. She enjoyed sharing stories about her family and especially that of picking cotton. With the exception of a sister who lived in Chattanooga, all of her family lived in Alabama, and Ann loved going “home” and visiting family.

“When summer vacation time rolled around, we never went to the beach, but always went to Alabama to see family,” said Mike.

Her father was a pastor in the Nazarene church, and although Ann was an active member of Little Doe Free Will Baptist Church, and had been for years, she loved to tell people she was a “Nazarene.”

“She would tell people, ‘I am a member of the Free Will Baptist Church, but I really am a Nazarene,’” Renee shared. “Her Alabama roots went deep.”

Ann, as she was known to friends, died July 4 at the age of 79 at Ivy Hall Nursing Home, where she had been a resident since January. “She had some dementia and was diagnosed earlier this year with cancer, but up until that time she had led a pretty full life and with the help of family and friends had been able to live at home,” said Mike.

Ann had worked for a number of years at Hampton Elementary and Hampton High Schools as both an aide and substitute teacher. “She enjoyed the school environment and interacting with kids,” shared her daughter, Renee.

“My mother grew up in Alabama, and my father, here in Hampton. But, they met in a diner in Indiana, and six months later married. He had gone to Indiana to work, and she was living with a sister. They later moved to Texas, when my father, Robert Hill, was in service. In fact, I was born in Texas. When dad got out of the service, they moved back to Indiana, and my brother was born there. They moved to Hampton in the early 1960s,” Renee shared.

Both Renee and Mike shared that their mother was a very immaculate person. “Every morning soon after she got up, she would dress, and do her hair and makeup. She would not even go to the mailbox until she did her hair and makeup. She was the typical June Cleaver of the ‘Leave It To Beaver’ show,” Renee shared.

Not only was she immaculate about her appearance, but she was that way about her house. “There was no clutter or dust at our house. Everything was coordinated,” Mike said, to which Renee added, “you could eat off her floors.”

Ann was a good cook and especially enjoyed making desserts. “Cakes and cobblers were her specialty,” said Renee.

Ann enjoyed her church family at Little Doe Free Will, and she rarely missed church. She sang in the church choir and often would sing a duet or in a trio. “She would sing with anyone who wanted to sing,” said Renee who shared that her mother’s favorite song was “Beautiful Star of Bethlehem.”

She also enjoyed listening to country music, and her favorite artists were George Jones and The Statler Brothers. “The first and only concert she ever attended was a Statler Brothers concert,” Renee shared.

Ann was also an avid reader, reading everything from devotionals to novels. One thing her children did not know about their mother was that she saved newspaper clippings. “Since she died we have found bunches of newspaper clippings — from obituaries, stories and photos of former students, friends and family. She kept everything,” said Renee.

One of her ministries was sending cards and making phone calls to the sick. “She wanted to pick out each and every card she sent. A box of assorted calls never made the cut. She picked the card to suit the person and it had to be just right for the person she was sending it to,” said Renee

Mike shared that before going to the nursing home, his mother regularly went to the Elizabethton Senior Center for about three years. “They would pick her up each morning and bring her home after lunch. It was good therapy for her; her saving grace. The staff was fantastic, and her Senior Center friends were just like family to her.”

In addition to her children, Ann also had four grandchildren, and each wanted to be her favorite, and she made them feel that way. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert.

Ann will always be remembered by church family by the peppermint candies she shared at each service. “I would get her two or three bags every week to put in her purse. It provided her an opportunity to speak and greet church family and any others she came in contact with. She shared a mint with them,” said Mike.

At her funeral, her pastor at the end of the service had the ushers to pass out peppermints to those attending — a wonderful momento of Ann Hill’s life and a reminder that life is short…make it sweet. Ann Hill did just that.