Death Notices for the week of
April 1, 2007

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Bergen and Spencerport mourn
passing of the 'Gentle Giant'

"If you just look around the community, everywhere you go, from Carpenter Park to the new highway garage, there are things Roy Hill had a hand in," said Village of Bergen Building and Code Enforcement Officer Tom Williamson.

His quiet and gentle, yet firm and strong influence will be greatly missed in this community, said neighbor Don Cunningham.

Hill, 66, of Bergen, died March 18. He and his wife had been temporarily staying at the Village Green Nursing Home in LeRoy recovering from injuries they received in a serious car accident while returning home from visiting family in North Carolina.

Roy Hill's service to the community he lived in all his life crossed many fronts and spanned some four decades. He served six years as Bergen Village Mayor in the 1970s, and also served on the village board and on numerous committees for both the village and town. As a young man he worked for the village and was a volunteer fireman. For many years he was also superintendent of public works for the Village of Bergen and most recently served as the general manager of operations for the Village of Spencerport, before retiring in 2000.

"We called him the Gentle Giant," said Spencerport Village Mayor Ted Walker, who at the time of Mr. Hill's service was a member of the village board in Spencerport. "He was just a great guy and very dedicated to his work. Some people need to do a lot of yelling and screaming to exercise their authority. Roy didn't need that. He had a gentle, low-key demeanor and charismatic leadership style. He made anyone around him comfortable. He got the village started in team building exercises to help everyone get to know each other and get along better. He was a great listener and problem solver."

Hill was also involved with the New York State Municipal Electric Utilities Association (MEUA) for seven years and served as its president. "He was well respected by the members of that organization," said Walker.

Roy Hill began his working career in the trades as a glazier and ran his own business for a while where one of his jobs was installing glass on the Changing Scenes restaurant in Rochester. His wife, Helen, recalls that those were lean years. Roy was very soft hearted, she said, and would make sure to take care of all the business bills and the needs of clients, but often there was little money left for them to live on. But, she adds, he had a knack for taking the best out of all his experiences and applying them in his service and interactions with people.

Not one to retire outright from public service, Hill continued until his death serving in many capacities in the church and community. One of these post-retirement duties was serving as Clerk of the Works for the Bergen highway garage. Helen said that he really enjoyed doing that because he was a representative of the people, making sure the work was done well. It was in capacities like these that Hill's winning sense of humor, easy manner and diplomatic skills were a great asset. And it was these signature skills that made him so highly sought after to be the master of ceremonies at community and church events.

Sports impersonator and 'The Secret Poet'
Not surprisingly, the five-foot ten-inch Hill who had the upper body build of a pro football lineman, excelled at sports in high school. John Cave was his high school buddy and best man at his wedding. He said Roy played on the basketball, soccer and baseball teams. Roy was the pitcher and Cave recalls in practice one time Roy pitched a curve ball to him. "I was waiting for the ball to break but it never did. It hit me and broke my arm."

Roy continued playing in Churchville after high school and even had a professional scout come and check him out. "Unfortunately, he wasn't playing well that day," recalls Helen. Roy loved to follow sports, particularly the Cleveland Browns, the Bills and the Syracuse Orangemen, and said Helen, he always had a soft spot for teams that were the underdog.

Long-time friend and Bergen resident Bob Cosgrove said some thought Roy had an uncanny resemblance to Mickey Mantle, a characteristic Roy and his friends were known to capitalize on now and again by trying to convince strangers that he was in fact the baseball great. Helen said that one time he was approached by a stranger who was convinced Roy was football icon Dick Butkus. He tried to dissuade the man but to no avail.

Hill had a prominent artistic side as well that seemed to blossom over the years. Roy's oldest son, Wayne, recalls how his dad would give them rhyming nicknames when they were younger. Then their birthday cards started having his rhymes included in them. Poems began appearing in the church newsletter under the byline 'The Secret Poet.' One day Wayne happened to read a poem that his Dad his written. His dad asked: "Did you like that?" and then threw him a whole folder full of his other poems. Wayne said it was like dad was saying, "Okay, the heck with the macho thing," and he put his love of poetry out there for all of us to see and enjoy.

Roy really loved words, explained Helen. He could spend hours on the crossword and jumble puzzles in the newspapers. He got to the point where he would just do them in his head so that the puzzles would be available for his kids to do if they wanted. He also loved Scrabble but it was hard to find anyone willing to play against him since they had absolutely no chance of winning. His poems were often custom crafted for a retirement, a birthday, a new baby, or the death of the friend. Many of these poems were re-written in calligraphy and hang as cherished treasures in the homes of friends and family.

Helen, who was from Byron, met Roy in high school and they married in 1962. Roy then began college at Roberts Wesleyan but to his chagrin, they made him take a remedial English course. Helen said her husband, the man of words, stubbornly insisted that they must have made some kind of mistake.

His brother's keeper
Mr. Hill was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Bergen where he served as an elder and deacon, member of Young Life Ministries and on the Missions and Evangelism Committee. He was also a Sunday school teacher, and active in the Drama Club. Fred Ely of Bergen said Roy would bring his joy and optimism to whatever group or committee he was working with. Many people looked to him for their emotional lift.

John Schrenker of Bergen, who served on committees with Hill, said he always would make you feel like you were the one doing all the work, when in truth, you couldn't have done anything without him.

Family members and friends alike speak of his humble, servant's heart, and tender concern for those in need. Johnson Towett was touched by this compassion first hand when his car broke down two-and-a-half years ago on Route 19 in Bergen. Towett, who is from Kenya, Africa, and was attending Genesee Community College, was at a loss for what to do. Hill was driving by and stopped to help him out. He diagnosed the problem (a broken suspension) and arranged for it to be fixed at the local service center. Hill even took Towett back and forth to work each day until the car was fixed. When Towett went to settle up the bill he discovered that Hill had already paid it. Hill invited Towett to church and ultimately to come live with them at their large home on Rochester Street in Bergen. "I had been feeling isolated where I was living and had prayed that God would provide a more nourishing living situation for me," said Towett. He came to regard the Hills as his adoptive parents. "Roy taught me about the ways of America. He attended to my needs as a father would to a son. He even went with me to court when I got my first traffic ticket. He taught me to slow down," Towett adds with a smile. "I'm a living witness of his goodness," said Towett. "He knew what it meant to be his brother's keeper."

In an open letter at the memorial service, family members said: "When you met dad for the first time it was like he was gaining another son, daughter, brother or sister. You were treated as a member of the family. By that measure, we must have the largest family that ever existed."

Roy Hill would never say good-bye to his friends or family. It was always "Buckle up." That meant many things, explains Towett. It meant: "Remember to put your seatbelt on," and "Take care of yourself." It meant: "Have a blessed day." And it meant: "I love you and I'll see you back here."

Roy Hill is the father of the late Lori Hill who died in 1972. He is survived by his wife, Helen F. (Cochram) Hill; two sons, Wayne R. (Michelle) Hill of Batavia and Mark D. (Gretchen) Hill of Greensboro, North Carolina; a daughter, Kristen (Jeremy) Rich of Bergen; two sisters, Lola (Bob) Schappell of Cornelius, North Carolina and Dorcas Arbach of Laurel, Maryland; six grandchildren, Ashley, Kelsey, and Lindsay Hill of Batavia, and Jordan and Sydney Hill of Greensboro, North Carolina and Quintin Rich of Bergen; and several nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church of Bergen, 38 South Lake Street, P.O. Box 20, Bergen, NY 14416 or Genesee County Young Life, P.O. Box 363, Batavia, NY 14021.

Welcomed Home
by Roy G. Hill

Not by works and works alone,
will I be welcomed, welcomed home.

Home to be with Christ the King,
whose bells we toll, whose praise we sing.

Repentant, humbled, broken me,
awash in spirit searching thee,

Now offer you my life this day,
to serve you in whatever way,

To hold in faith your healing power,
your saving grace each waking hour,

To be your servant through and through
and welcomed home, my Lord with you.

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BROCKPORT

•Carney, David J., of Cranberry Lake, New York died February 26, 2007 in Fairhope, Alabama. A former resident of Brockport, he lived in New York state most of his life. Born in 1928, he was a first generation Irish-American, the son of David and Mary Carney of Ireland. David was a U.S. Coast Guard Veteran and Fordham University graduate. He is survived by four sons, David, Stephen, Richard and Thomas; a daughter, Patricia and four grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife, Geraldine (Geri) Carney, in 1997, and his sister Ann Carney, in 1998.

A Memorial Service will be held at St. Hubert's Church, Star Lake, New York on Saturday, April 28 at 11 a.m.