Peggy Stevens Hill

Peggy Stevens Hill, 91, died Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018, at Valley Hi Nursing Home in Woodstock, Ill., from complications of pancreatic cancer.

Peggy was born on Oct. 11, 1926, to George E. Stevens and Virginia Ray Hook Stevens (both deceased) in Salem, Mo. Peggy grew up in and around Rolla, Mo., which she called home. She attended Rolla High School. She married William Edward Hill (deceased) on July 4, 1946, divorced him in 1968, and never remarried.

Peggy had many careers in her lifetime. She worked as a newspaper reporter both in Salem, Ill., and in Rolla, Mo. She was also the church secretary for many years at the First Presbyterian Church in Rolla, Mo. After retiring from the church, she worked for Century 21 Real Estate in Rolla.

Peggy loved to travel and especially to Scotland. She went many times, but probably her most memorable trip was to the Isle of Barra. Barra is the ancestral home of the Clan McNeill. Peggy traced her lineage back to the Clan McNeill and was a proud, current member of the clan.

Peggy was also an avid bird watcher even into her later years. She was a current member of the National Audubon Society.

Peggy had two children, Steven William Hill (deceased in 2014), and is survived by her daughter, Donna Leslie (Hill) Emmons, of Woodstock, Ill.; her grandsons, Benjamin Emmons (Robin Ritter) of Maple Grove, Minn.; Joseph Emmons (Elli) of Woodstock, Ill.; Lucas Hill (Ada Torres) of Ormond Beach, Fla.; Woodrow Hill (Dove) of Englewood, Colo.; and Justin Hill (Leslie) of Crestwood, Mo.; and 13 great-grandchildren (Hannah and Jacob Emmons, Madeleine and Jackson Emmons, Fernando, Angelina and Sarni Torres, Laciana and Sabrina Hill, Elijah and Avila Hill, and Callie and Lily Hill) and one additional great-grandchild on the way!

Also surviving is Peggy’s brother Philip G. Stevens (Cozette) of Bailey, Colo., and her close first cousin, Suzanne Hooke Schacher. In addition, she is survived by many nieces and nephews. Peggy’s other brother, Jack Harlan Stevens, died in 2006.

A memorial celebration of her life will be held in Rolla, Mo., this fall.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), 26 Broadway, 14th Floor, New York, N.Y., 10004 or online at their website.

For information, contact Schneider Leucht Merwin & Cooney Funeral Home at 815-338-1710, or visit www.slmcfh.com