James "Jimmie" Marion Hill
11 Apr 1927 - 21 Sep 2005
Vada
Mildred Sherwood Hill
15 Jan 1924 - 7 Sep 2012
Jimmie passed away September 21, 2005,
in Rifle at age78. He was a longtime
resident and a beloved rural mail
carrier with 37 years of service.
Jimmie was born April 11, 1927, to
Walter Ray Sr. and Margaret Floy
(Sisler) Hill in Palisade, Colorado.
Margaret was a young wife and mom, and
died young. She was born June 9, 1906,
in Depew, Oklahoma, and married Walter
Ray Sr. on April 12, 1922. She was 15.
Walter and Margaret had four children.
The first, Walter Ray Jr, was born
October 16,1922, when Margaret was just
16. Jimmie was born April 11, 1927, Mary
Louise January 11, 1933, and Larry L. in
1936.
Tragically Margaret passed away July 31,
1939, at the age of 33, when Jimmie was
only 12.
9
Jimmie married Vada Mildred Sherwood on
February 7, 1944, in Denver. He was 16
years old, she was 20.
Vada was born in Rifle January 15, 1924,
to
Freeman Leslie (1887-1972) and
Freeman Sherwood was a retired farmer
and miner. He came to the Carbondale
area from Nebraska in 1904 at the age of
17 and farmed there until he enlisted
for WW1 at age 30.
Obituary
He was first a Rifle resident in 1919
after returning from two year's service
with the Army. He married Louise M. Helm
at Rifle on October 22, 1919. They then
resided in Leadville and Oregon before
returning to Rifle in 1936.
Jimmie and Vada had three children, all
born in Rifle.
b 25 Apr 1947, d 14 Jun 2017
James Russell "Rocky" (Richelle) Hill
b May 1949
Jerry W. (Adrienne) Hill
b 6 Jan 1953 d 2017
All three graduated from Rifle High,
Janice in 1965, Rocky in 1967, and Jerry
in 1971.
Jimmie was a member of the U.S. Navy in
WW2. His official Enlistment Date was
May 5, 1945. There is a Sentinel clip
that he signed up April 6, five days
before his 18th birthday and was waiting
to be valled up. His official Discharge
Date was February 2, 1946.
In 1947, Jimmie and Vada built their
home at 501 Jarrad Ave in Rifle. They
would reside there for 58 years.
He was a rural route mail carrier for
the U.S. Postal Service for 37 years,
from about 1947 to 1984.
Jimmie loved hunting, fishing and being
with his family.
He was the mailman who would bring
Christmas presents to his route people
on Christmas Day, out of the goodness of
his heart.
Years ago, every child on his mail route
loved Jimmie because he would personally
bring them the packages mailed to them.
Vada was a homemaker in the home she and
Jimmie built where she lived for 65
years. She worked very hard planting,
raising, harvesting, canning, and
freezing vegetables and fruit from their
large garden and orchard while raising
three children.
Vada worked as a cook at Esma Lewis
Elementary beginning at least from 1965.
She succeeded Ruby McKee as lunchroom
supervisor in 1971 and then worked 23
years there as supervisor. Total years
with the school district would be at
least 29.
Vada and Jimmie worked hard and they
played hard. In retirement they did a
lot of camping and traveled in their
motor home to every state in the United
States, except three.
Jimmie passed away September 21, 2005.
He was survived by his wife, Vada Hill,
of Rifle; sons Rocky (Richelle) Hill, of
Pueblo, and Jerry (Adrienne) Hill of
California; daughter Janice (Donald)
Guffy, of Craig; brother Larry L. Hill;
grandchildren Shahn Guffy, Sara, Sandy,
and Halley Hill; and many other
relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his sister
Mary (Ira) Louise Hill Bashaw. And also
by his brother
Walter (Catherine) Ray Hill Jr.
There was a chapel service at 1 p.m.
Saturday at the Rifle Funeral Home
Chapel, with the Rev. Dene Johnson of
the First Christian Church of Rifle
officiating.
Burial was at Rose Hill Cemetery in
Rifle. Rifle Funeral Home was in charge
of arrangements. Memorial contributions
were suggested to be made to the charitv
of choice.
Vada passed away September 7, 2012, also
in Rifle. Her burial was on Tuesday,
September 11, at 1:00 p.m. at Rose Hill
Cemetery in Rifle with Rifle Funeral
Home in charge of arrangements
