Joan Elizabeth Hill, age 76, of Festus, Missouri, at home surrounded by her family, after a yearlong battle with cancer went home to be with the Lord, Tuesday, September 8, 2026.
She was born in St. Louis, May 17, 1950, the daughter of the late Betty (nee Simms) and Nicholas Bates. Raised in Herculaneum, Missouri, she attended Assumption Catholic School and graduated in 1968 from St. Pius X High School in Festus.
Joan met her husband Randy Hill early in life, as neighborhood friends, which they remained until after high school when they finally realized their life was meant to be spent together. Married in 1971, they bought a home in Herculaneum just blocks from where they both grew up, choosing to raise their three children amidst their friends and family.
She was a devoted member of the former Assumption Catholic Church in Herculaneum for most of her life and in later years, Our Lady Catholic Church in Festus.
Joan held a variety of clerical jobs throughout her life, but was best known for her caregiving, primarily for family, but also for those around her. She was eager to offer a ride to church or a medical appointment, furnish a meal or a shoulder to cry on for anyone in need.
While she lived her entire life in Jefferson County, she was an adventurer and was always up for a trip. Never one to say no, she traveled to far-off places like Thailand and Greece and cruised the waters off Alaska and the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. When at home, she loved caring for her flower beds and watching hummingbirds.
In addition to her parents Nicholas and Betty, she was preceded in death by her mother-in-law and father-in-law Margaret and Lawrence Hill, along with many special aunts, uncles, cousins, and in-laws.
Joan is survived by her loving husband of 55 years Randy Hill; her sons Travis (Angie) Hill of Festus and Nathan (Amy Carso) Hill of Columbia, Missouri; daughter Amy (Bill) Lundberg of Duluth, Minnesota; brothers Billy (the late Jane) Bates and Jimmy (the late Terry) Bates; one of her greatest joys, her grandchildren Jacob (Rebecca) Hill, Molly (Clay) Carroll, Macy (Grant) Hopkins, Eliza Lundberg, Sophia Lundberg and Noah Lundberg, and her great-grandchildren Eden Hill, Walden Hill, Rainey Hopkins, and Birdie Carroll; and a very special group of nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws and friends who will deeply miss her.
Visitation will be from 9:00 A.M. until the time of funeral Mass at 11:00 A.M. Monday, September 14, 2026, at Our Lady Church in Festus, officiated by Fr. Zac Povis. Interment will be at a later date in Assumption Catholic Cemetery in Herculaneum. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Joan’s memory may be made to the St. Vincent DePaul Society of Sacred Heart or Our Lady Catholic Churches.
