Lynn Hanger Hill, my wonderful wife, best friend, superb travel mate, best mother and Grandmommy, and loving companion, died on October 2, 2025.  We had been married for 49 1/2 years.  Her obituary correctly states that “she was the quintessential wife, mother, grandmother, sister, teacher, and friend, whose love and influence touched all who knew her.”  The program from her funeral can be viewed here.  I cannot put into words how devastated I have been by her death.

Lynn had a rare form of cancer, a vulvar melanoma, which she fought for three and a half years.  During that time, she had immunotherapy, radiation, and chemotherapy to treat the cancer but it eventually metastasized to her lungs and she died at home, surrounded by me and our daughters Ann and Kay, while in Hospice care.   She was 73 years old.

Here is the text of the tribute which our granddaughter Betsy gave at her Memorial Service, held October 11, 2026 at Central United Methodist Church in Staunton.  It gives an overview of what an incredible, talented, loving, beautiful, thoughtful, smart, and lovable person she was.

Good morning, I am Betsy Gutshall, granddaughter of Lynn Hill.

• Grandmommy would be embarrassed by today’s celebration of her because she never wanted to be the center of attention.  For years, only her closest friends and relatives knew of her cancer diagnosis and her nearly 100 trips to the Emily Couric Cancer Center in Charlottesville for treatment.
• But, since she didn’t plan the service today, we’re going to take the opportunity to tell you some things about my Grandmommy that you might not know.
• Grandmommy was raised here in Staunton.   She was the second of  four children of Betty and George Hanger, preceded by her sister Kay and followed by her brother Bill and her sister Jane. 
• Inspired by one of her teachers at Robert E. Lee high school, who was from Cuba, she decided early in life to become a Spanish teacher.  She majored in Spanish and graduated in 3 ½ years from Longwood College.  During her Longwood years, she studied at the University of the Americas in Puebla, Mexico.
• After Longwood, she attended graduate school at West Virginia University where she earned a Master’s Degree in Spanish Literature and met her partner, Joe.  They married in 1976 and lived in Morgantown until 1981 then moved to Staunton, where she stayed home with their three children, my mom Ann, my Aunt Kay, and my Uncle Jim, until she started her teaching career in 1989 at Fort Defiance High School.  She taught all levels of Spanish there until 2008.  She made many great friends at Fort but, after twenty years, she wanted a change.
• In 2008, she switched careers to become an elementary English as a Second Language teacher at Lacey Spring Elementary School in Rockingham County.  She commented that she went from teaching AP Spanish one year to holding kindergarteners’ hands walking down the hallway the next.  The next year, Cub Run Elementary School was opened and she thrived in her role at this new school.  She loved her students, her colleagues, and her job, and she was named Teacher of the Year in the school’s opening year.  While there, she started the Winter Gifts program, which supplied warm coats, clothes, and food to over 200 disadvantaged children each year.  She remained at Cub Run until she retired in 2017.   
• Well, retirement for her didn’t really mean retirement.  For the next eight years she routinely worked part time to help beginning ESL teachers, test students’ language proficiency, translate school documents, and interpret for meetings.  She tutored many Shenandoah Valley students through the Migrant Education program.   Just last school year she tutored English language learners at Stewart Middle School.  Teaching language acquisition was her skill but what made her a great teacher was her heart.  Every student of hers meant something special to her.
• Her former pupils loved her so much that several invited her to their Quinceañeras and college graduations many years later.  Some of the most heartfelt condolences we have received after her passing were from these students who wrote about how well she treated them and how much she had inspired them.  An entire class at Linville-Edom Elementary School, where she spent time interpreting, sent her get well cards the week before she passed away.
• She had a huge heart for the Hispanic community in Rockingham and Augusta Counties and working with them allowed her to make some of her greatest friendships.
• She began working with Emily Jimenez when Emily was a pre-schooler who spoke no English.  When Emily was in the 5th grade at North River Elementary School she won the school spelling bee.  Now Emily, who is a high school junior, and her brother Nathan each have secured full rides to James Madison University.  Grandmommy was SO proud of Emily and Nathan and was very close to their parents, Elizabeth and Gilberto.  Grandmommy was honored to crown Emily at her Quinceañera, the role a grandmother typically has. 
• Central United Methodist Church was always a big part of her life.  She was baptized here, married here, and raised her children here.  Two other significant events in her life happened here:  the weddings of her two daughters, my Mom Ann and my Aunt Kay.  
• She was recently honored with the United Methodist Women in Faith pin for exemplary service.
• In addition to the opportunities to serve the church provided her, it also provided her with many of her close friendships. Our family is especially appreciative of her Central friends who are assisting with today’s reception.
• As for her hobbies, Grandmommy LOVED to craft and sew. She embroidered babies’ names on blankets for anyone she knew.  She made dozens and dozens of them; perhaps some of you here today have one. She adeptly used her Cricut machine to letter shirts, pillow cases for the students at Henry Fork Service Center, and household signs.  Some of these are on display in the fellowship hall.
• She taught me how to sew and quilt. From quilting to customizing hoodies, she was always there to guide and help me whenever I needed her insight…or whenever I needed her to help me reset the bobbin.
• Like her own mother, my great-grandmother, she loved to watch and feed the birds, especially hummingbirds, that visit her many back porch feeders and back yard bird bath.  
• Grandmommy was also a super bargain shopper.  Nothing made her happier than finding something at a good price, and, Granddaddy would add, whether she needed it or not.  For the last half dozen years, each week she would search for great clothing deals at Costco, buy the clothes, then immediately donate them to the Broadway High School Clothes Closet run by my Mom and her friends.  She truly had a big heart for the underprivileged. She was frugal with her finances but generous with her heart.
• Grandmommy loved to travel and just finished a 14 day Rhine River Cruise to five countries in June despite breaking her arm on day 3 of the trip.  Her favorite trips were Machu Picchu, which she took with Granddaddy, Italy which she took with him and two other couples, Hawaii which they took with my Aunt Kay and her family, Puerto Rico with my family, and Disney World with my Uncle Jim and his boys.
• Christmastime was Grandmommy’s favorite time of year. She collected over 100 The Night Before Christmas books and every year she seemed to start playing Christmas music earlier and earlier.  
• Speaking of Christmas, she was also a huge fan of Hallmark and Lifetime movies and had probably seen each one several times.  She also loved live theater and enjoyed going to see shows in New York as well as at the Barter Theatre, Broadway in Richmond, and at all our great local theatres.
• As many of you probably know, she was also a frequent, passionate contributor on Facebook.  We’ve heard from many of her friends that they already miss seeing her online posts– if you agree with her views you will be happy to know she prioritized sending in her mail-in ballot as soon as she came home on hospice care.  
• Some of Grandmommy’s favorite times were her weekly chats with Cheryl Kent and Cheryl Wright in the Hill back yard, taking walks with Pat Collins, with whom she also attended a cooking class in Italy, her annual crafting weekend with Cheryl Kent, Dana Eastman, and Vickie Wood, and her get togethers for meals with her close friends Mary Gooden, John and Ginny Bauman, and Bev Coltrane.  If we tried to list everyone she loved spending time with we’d be here all day and undoubtedly forget to name someone, but truly, she loved and treasured each and every one of her friends. 
• Most people would say my Grandmommy was caring, thoughtful, and generous.  
• She was also quick-witted and had a great sense of humor.  When she was near the end, she threatened to haunt my granddaddy for taking an unflattering photo of her. 
• A hard worker, she put herself through college working as a waitress and she supplemented her teaching income by working in retail.  She taught chair caning classes for the Staunton recreation department and, with Pat Collins, ran a summer Spanish camp for elementary school students.
• She loved to dance and was quick to hop on the dance floor at weddings and other celebrations.
• She had an amazing ability to remember names.  If she met you, she was sure to ask about you and your children by name.  This ability stemmed from the fact that she truly cared about the people in her life.  
• As much as she did for the community, her life was centered around her family.  Family and friends, both immediate and extended, always came first.
• She understood the importance of getting family together, even when our lives are busy.  For example, she loved hosting Easter Egg hunts for her grandkids, Christmas parties for the extended Hanger family, and Thanksgiving feasts for the extended Hill family.  Of course, each event had a crafting activity.  But most importantly, she loved catching up with her siblings, her in-laws, and her many beloved nieces and nephews.  A side note – we have the recipe for her corn casserole and will make sure it makes appearances at future family gatherings.
• Some of the happiest days in her life were the days her 8 grandchildren were born.  She enjoyed playing games, crafting, baking, chatting, and facetiming with us, but I think her favorite thing to do was cheering us on in our soccer, basketball, and hockey games, as well as our theatre, band, and dance performances.  
• A highlight of every one of her days was her phone call with her sister, my Great Aunt Kay.  They weren’t just sisters; they were best friends.
• One of Grandmommy’s favorite types of birds was bluebirds, who mate for life, perhaps because they reminded her of her own relationship with my Granddaddy, her travel companion, teammate, cheerleader, and her other best friend.  She and Granddaddy were married for over 49 years and together for over 51.  They supported each other through good times and bad, showing their kids and grandkids what it means to be a loyal, patient, and loving spouse.  

Well, that was a lot, so thank you for indulging us and letting us share just a little bit of what made Grandmommy such an incredible person.  We are heartbroken that she is no longer with us, but we are eternally grateful and happy for the time we had with her. We are also extremely thankful for the outpouring of food, flowers, support, visits, cards, e-mails, texts and online messages that we received before and after her passing.  Your love and generosity have overwhelmed us and we thank you all dearly for your kindness and for coming today to honor her.

Lynn and I met in 1974; we were married on June 12,  1976.  As detailed on the About Me page on this website, we raised three exceptional children:  Ann, Kay, and Jim who then provided us with eight matchless grandchildren:  Henry, Gus, Betsy, Freddie, Thomas, Georgia, Faron, and Coen.  For each of my children and grandchildren I created a photo book of the two of us which can be viewed here.  As Betsy said at her Memorial Service, she was an amazing woman.  She was literally the best human being I have ever known.  Everyone who knew her loved her;  at her Memorial Service the church was so packed with family, friends, former colleagues, neighbors, and former students that the service had to be live streamed into the fellowship hall to accommodate everyone.  Click to view the Memorial Service which was held on October 11, 2025 at Central United Methodist Church.

She and I were a good team.  I am so lucky to have been married to Lynn Hanger Hill.