Thomas "Tom" Ray Hill, Sr. age 80, of Dunbar, passed away peacefully at his residence on Wednesday, April 14, 2010 after a short but courageous bout with cancer.

Tom, the son of Floyd and Ethel Hill both of whom preceded him in death, was born on April 21, 1929 in Dunbar. He was also preceded in death by a half brother Keith Hill of Nitro. Tom, at an early age, moved with his family for a while to Buffalo, then returned to Dunbar where he attended elementary and junior high school and graduated from Dunbar High School, where he was a proud member of the marching band.

Tom married Betty Lou Skees Hill on September 8, 1947. Betty preceded Tom in death after being happily married for 53 years. Tom and Betty were the parents of four surviving children. Karen Mae Barnette and husband John of South Charleston, Thomas Ray Hill, Jr. of Oakwood, VA., Terry Lee Hill and wife Lou of Dunbar and Kathy Lyn Legg and husband Larry of Charleston. Tom was the proud grandfather of Karen Miller, Scott Barnette and his wife Robin, Aimee Rittinger and her husband Tom, Erin Ryan and her husband Ed, Brooke and Ethan Legg, Scott Jones and his wife Dawn, and Todd Jones and April Conley. He is also survived by his great grandchildren; Karelyn and Jackelyn Miller, Caleb and Joshua Barnette, Alyssa and Noah Rittinger, Jocelyn and Thomas Ryan and Ciera, Cody and Saige Jones.

Tom spent his entire working life as an employee of Union Carbide in South Charleston. Tom was very proud of his Carbide employment where he met and made many lifelong friends. During his career at Carbide he worked as a laborer, truck driver, skilled carpenter and laboratory assistant. Tom was very active in many Carbide activities including serving as an officer for the Carbide Credit Union. He enthusiastically participated in Carbide sponsored recreational leagues and outings. He particularly enjoyed the Carbide golf and bowling leagues and the friendships they provided.

Tom was an active member of the Dunbar Mountain Mission Church in Dunbar where he served as chairman of the board of directors and, until the onset of his illness, as the superintendent of the church Sunday school. He also sang in the church choir and often joked that he gave balance to the good voices. Tom expressed and demonstrated his great love for his church family in many ways, just a mention of the church or one of its members would bring a smile to his face or an offer to help or be there when one was in need. A favorite family recollection is Tom proclaiming to the congregation that "God is good" and the congregation responding "All the time".

Tom was also a long time and active member of the Gideon International and had a particular passion for spreading the gospel through his membership in the organization. He spent many hours distributing Bibles and encouraging others to work or contribute to the effort of the organization he thought most worthy.

Tom was athletic while growing up, participating in basketball, fast pitch softball and baseball and had a great love for the Cincinnati Reds and the WVU Mountaineers. Tom was an also avid golfer and bowler and particularly enjoyed his golf trips and outings with his son Terry and church friends. In his later years he participated in the physical fitness and other activities of the Nitro Senior Center and thoroughly enjoyed his time there while exercising or working on jigsaw puzzles with friends. Tom also was noted for his wonderful potato salad and "out of this world" chocolate brownies which he frequently made and happily shared with his family and many friends.

Services for Tom will be held at 12 noon on Saturday, April 17th at the Dunbar Mountain Mission Church. Visitation for friends will be held at the church prior to the service beginning at 10 am. Burial will follow the service at Sunset Memorial Park.

The family wishes to acknowledge and express our heartfelt appreciation to HospiceCare and Keller Funeral Home for their gracious care and concern for our father in his time of passing. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to Gideon International of Kanawha Valley, 724 Indiana Avenue, Charleston, WV 25312 , HospiceCare, 1606 Kanawha Blvd West, Charleston WV, 25312 or the Dunbar Mountain Mission Church, 605 Dunbar Avenue, Dunbar, WV 25064.