Gordon Hill

Gordon Willard Hill, 98, passed away peacefully and surrounded by family at Edgewood Village in Bismarck, ND on March 7, 2025.

Gordon was born in Sheyenne, ND on July 6,1926. His parents were John and Amanda (Olson) Hill. He had two brothers, Howard, Curtis, and six sisters, Margaret, Delma, Dorothy, Winona, Verne, and Marilyn. After graduation from Sheyenne High School in 1944, he entered the U.S. Navy and was stationed on the USS Tippecanoe, an oil tanker taking supplies to the Aleutian Islands. He was honorably discharged in 1946, and then he attended the University of Oregon in Eugene where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry in 1951. He began work at the Amoco Oil Refinery in Mandan in 1954. He retired in 1987. He also was part-owner of the North Dakota Water and Soil Analysis Laboratory along with Donald Litchfield from Bismarck.

Gordon married Darlene Marie Swanson from Sheyenne on January 8, 1955 and established their home on 12th Ave. NW in Mandan. Darlene passed away in 2022. They had three children, Steven (Deborah) Hill, Grand Forks; Carolynn Johnson, Bismarck; and Nancy Hill (José Martin), Sevilla, Spain. Their grandchildren and great-grandchildren are Amanda (Evan) LeFloch and son, Elliott, Tampa, FL; Michaela Hill (Alberto) and their children Norah and Nicolas, Sevilla Spain; Elizabeth (Branden) Kaste and their children, Monroe and Isabella, Fargo; Erica (Jeff) Wieser and their children, Jaxon and Ellie, Grand Forks; Esther Martin, Sevilla, Spain; and Ashton Martin (Antonio Ruiz) and her children Alejandra Carrión Martin and Pablo Ruiz Martin, Sevilla, Spain. Carolynn Johnson’s husband Robert passed away in January, 2024.

Gordon was a lifelong learner and loved intellectual conversations about politics, sports, and financial planning. He also enjoyed rose gardening, playing Bridge, the Minnesota Twins, the Minnesota Vikings, and listening to the loud music of Bert Kaempfert, Dave Brubeck, the Sultans of Swing, and Beethoven when he came home from work. He and Darlene enjoyed several trips to Spain, Las Vegas, and Mesquite, NV. They were active members of the Christ Episcopal Church in Mandan, ND, and later the First Lutheran Church in Mandan.

The family would like to express special thanks to Pastor Phil Leer from First Lutheran Church in Mandan, the staff of Edgewood Village and CaringEdge Home Health and Hospice in Bismarck, and Drs. Kurniali and Charchenko from Sanford Bismarck for their outstanding and compassionate care of Gordon.

Gordon will be buried at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery in Mandan. The family is planning a funeral and Celebration of Life for later this summer. Please send condolences to Carolynn Johnson, 3227 Nevada Drive, Bismarck, ND, 58503.