OBITUARY: Gregory Alan Hill

Gregory Alan Hill, 90, passed away peacefully with family on April 16, 2025, 38 days following the death of his soulmate, Ann. Greg was born on September 16th, 1934, in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. He attended Glen Ridge High School where he was the president of his senior class and more importantly, where he met and dated his future wife, Ann Harriman.

He received his undergraduate and master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University. Greg married the love of his life in 1957, then joined the Air Force where he was a navigator, serving for 3 years in Texas and New Hampshire. He left the Air Force in 1960 as a First Lieutenant and joined Lukens Steel Company in Pennsylvania.

While at Lukens, Greg and Ann and their 4 children spent 10 years restoring their 1790’s stone farmhouse in West Chester, PA. He developed a lifelong love of gardening and would later earn the Master Gardener Certification. In 1972, Greg was selected by Lukens Steel to serve with the newly formed Environmental Protection Agency under the Presidential Executive Interchange program, and the family thoroughly enjoyed their year exploring Washington, DC. It was a particularly interesting time to be there, starting the year as guests at Richard Nixon’s inauguration and then watching the Watergate scandal unfold.

Greg returned to Lukens but was soon recruited by various mini mill steel companies around the country. The family moved to Knoxville, Wilmington, Cedar Rapids, Birmingham, Beaumont, and Chattanooga and had some amazing adventures. Throughout all their moves, the family always felt at home back in New Jersey with Greg’s parents in Sea Girt, and with the Harriman/Foley families in Deal and Bay Head.

In his spare time, Greg built model airplanes and created a meticulous stamp collection, which dovetailed with his love of history. Every hand-made book was designed to describe how the stamps of the time reflected what was going on in the world. When we look back on them now, the value of the stamps is far surpassed by the historical narratives.

Greg’s other true love was cars. From the earliest age, he and his father adored cars, and even with 4 children, he always managed to find a sports car that had enough room for the kids. Later, his taste ran to two-seater convertibles, and he found great joy in buying new roadsters well into his 80’s.

In 2007, Greg and Ann settled into retirement in the newly developed Del Webb community in Mt. Juliet and found a wealth of new friends and experiences. No longer able to work in his own large yard, he worked with Pulte to design and build the first 34 Community Garden raised beds. This was his enduring passion, and he was on the Landscape Committee board for several years, then continued to enthusiastically promote the expansion of the gardens to over 75 beautifully tended plots.

Greg and Ann enjoyed living near Nashville and took advantage of Vanderbilt’s Lifelong Learning program by taking 3 courses each semester. Nashville also provided them with great music venues, theater, and art museums, but most importantly – it had a great airport! They were passionate about travel, taking countless trips throughout the US and the world. They loved exploring overseas – especially in Thailand, China, Turkey, South America, Bermuda, Spain, and the UK. In the US, they were fans of Road Scholar and Caravan trips, family visits, and weekend road trips with the Music City Miata Club and Del Webb Roadsters. Every major trip, of course, was documented with an extensive photo book.

Ann and Greg began dating 74 years ago and were blessed with a loving, supportive relationship. Greg passed away 38 days after Ann died and we believe they just couldn’t live without each other! They will be missed by their extended family including children Lorrie (George), Don, Tom (Tina), and Joe (Jeanmarie), as well as their grandchildren Samantha (Derek), Connor, Lorrie, Greg (Avery), Noah, and Taylor, and great grandchildren Eli, River, and Hayden.

The family is also very grateful for the compassionate care provided to both Ann and Greg by their daughter-in-law Jeanmarie Hill. We will be celebrating both Greg and Ann’s lives in New Jersey later this year with our beloved Harriman family but encourage you to raise a glass of Greg’s favorite Jamesons whiskey in his honor.