Born in Cleveland on June 22, 1937, Katherine Hill passed peacefully at Hospice of Dayton on August 12, 2023, aged 86.
She is survived by her daughter Victoria Jensen, son Thomas Jensen, sister Gretchen Vaughn, brother Dan Hill, cousins Carol and Jim Hill, and several nieces and nephews: Rachel Cook, Seeley Quest, Erika Hunter Keuber, David Hunter, Jeremy Hunter, Lisa Hill White, Scott Hill, and Laura Hill Hipp. She had one granddaughter, Evelyn Ivy, whom she cherished. Katherine also is survived by our dear family friend, Bruce Twiss.
Katherine was proud of her upbringing on a farm in northern Ohio, and enjoyed sharing stories of the many chores she did. She graduated from Mantua-Shalersville High School with a passion to become an architect, and after two years at the College of Wooster she transferred to Miami University to pursue her dream. There she met David Jensen and they fell in love; they were married in 1960 and had two children (Victoria and Thomas). Divorced in 1976, Katherine soon found a job at the University of Dayton Department of Engineering Management, where she worked as office administrator until her retirement in 2016. While working full-time, she found time to take classes and completed her bachelor’s degree in History at UD in 1994 at the age of 56, earning a Certificate of Academic Excellence in History. She was passionate about historic preservation and served on the Board of the Historic South Park Society for many years. Her particular research interest was in the landscape designs of Frederick Law Olmsted, and she advocated for preservation of his legacy in Dayton. She was also a strong believer in political participation and volunteered forthe League of Women Voters.
While deeply engaged with her own interests, Katherine was a supportive mother and grandmother, encouraging her offspring to follow their dreams. Even during her life’s hardest challenges, she always had a beaming smile and an irrepressible buoyancy in her attitude.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to causes that were important to Katherine: The National Trust for Historic Preservation, The League of Women Voters, The Olmsted Network, EarthJustice, and the National Park Foundation.
Professional services entrusted to W.E. Lusain Funeral Home and Crematory.
She is survived by her daughter Victoria Jensen, son Thomas Jensen, sister Gretchen Vaughn, brother Dan Hill, cousins Carol and Jim Hill, and several nieces and nephews: Rachel Cook, Seeley Quest, Erika Hunter Keuber, David Hunter, Jeremy Hunter, Lisa Hill White, Scott Hill, and Laura Hill Hipp. She had one granddaughter, Evelyn Ivy, whom she cherished. Katherine also is survived by our dear family friend, Bruce Twiss.
Katherine was proud of her upbringing on a farm in northern Ohio, and enjoyed sharing stories of the many chores she did. She graduated from Mantua-Shalersville High School with a passion to become an architect, and after two years at the College of Wooster she transferred to Miami University to pursue her dream. There she met David Jensen and they fell in love; they were married in 1960 and had two children (Victoria and Thomas). Divorced in 1976, Katherine soon found a job at the University of Dayton Department of Engineering Management, where she worked as office administrator until her retirement in 2016. While working full-time, she found time to take classes and completed her bachelor’s degree in History at UD in 1994 at the age of 56, earning a Certificate of Academic Excellence in History. She was passionate about historic preservation and served on the Board of the Historic South Park Society for many years. Her particular research interest was in the landscape designs of Frederick Law Olmsted, and she advocated for preservation of his legacy in Dayton. She was also a strong believer in political participation and volunteered forthe League of Women Voters.
While deeply engaged with her own interests, Katherine was a supportive mother and grandmother, encouraging her offspring to follow their dreams. Even during her life’s hardest challenges, she always had a beaming smile and an irrepressible buoyancy in her attitude.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to causes that were important to Katherine: The National Trust for Historic Preservation, The League of Women Voters, The Olmsted Network, EarthJustice, and the National Park Foundation.
Professional services entrusted to W.E. Lusain Funeral Home and Crematory.
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Gallery
Gretchen, Tom, Vicky and Katherine, June 2023
Katherine and Vicky, 2022
Evelyn visiting Grandma Katherine, summer 2021
Same loveseat, 2022
Same loveseat, 1999
Sitting on the Stanton Hall Meeks loveseat - c. 1984
Graduation from UD, a hard-won BA degree in History
At work, University of Dayton Department of Engineering Management
A new mother (with daughter Victoria Jensen)
