Byron John Hill

Byron John Hill, 93, of Mason City, died Friday, March 31, 2017, at The Heart Hospital in Plano, Texas.

Memorial services will be held 10:30 a.m., on Tuesday, May 30, at Major Erickson Funeral Home, 111 N. Pennsylvania Ave., with the Rev. Kathleen R. Moore of the First United Methodist Church officiating. Inurnment will be at Elmwood-St. Joseph Cemetery with Military Honors conducted by the Mason City Veterans Association.

A gathering of family and friends will be from 4 to 6 p.m., followed by a Masonic Service, on Monday, May 29, at Major Erickson Funeral Home.

Memorials may be directed to the Byron Hill Memorial Fund in care of the family. Memorials will be donated to help fight heart disease. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.majorericksonfuneralhome.com

The baby of the family, the fifth child of John and Elizabeth Hill (Wepking), Byron was born on January 11, 1924, in Mason City, Iowa. (For future genealogists: the family always celebrated on January 11, but Byron’s birth certificate says that he was born on January 3, 1924.) The Hills lived on the family farm north of Mason City, which was established by Byron's father around 1910. As a teenager, Byron became responsible for the day-to-day operation of the 80-acre farm, in charge of the livestock as well as the fields. He was drafted into the U.S. Navy during WWII and stationed at Navy Pier in Chicago (which he referred to as “the U.S.S. Concrete”). He served there for one year, and returned to Iowa at the end of the war. Back in Mason City, he met Georgiana (Jana) Johnson, and the two were married in 1956.

Byron was a hardworking, devoted, and loving husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, uncle, and brother, and he loved spending time with his family, and playing and working on his farm. He also worked for the U.S. Postal Service from the early 1960s until his retirement in 1982. He was a member of the American Legion for over 50 years, and he and Jana were also both members of various Masonic organizations for over 66 years. Byron was a loyal Hawkeyes fan all of his life, and his love for dogs was only surpassed by their love for him.

Byron is survived by his children Jon (Julia Matteson), Sara, and Jay (Darla Clark), and four grandchildren, Megan (Evan Ware), Kevin (Amanda Roth), Molly, Maddy, and his great grandson Lincoln (son of Kevin and Amanda). He is also survived by his sister, Lois Ellett. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Jana, as well as his siblings, Charles Hill, Gordon Hill, and Frances Nutton.

Byron was a soft-spoken but quick-witted man, who would often bring on everyone’s laughter with an unexpected joke and a twinkle in his eye. In the words of a family friend, he was someone whose quiet presence was still large enough to fill a place in your heart. He will be dearly missed by his many friends and family.