Larry Paul Hill was born in February 1935 in McPherson Kansas. He moved with his parents to Lufkin TX where he attended Lufkin Public Schools. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from Stephen F. Austin State College and a Masters Degree from the University of Dallas. He met his wife Joanne in Lufkin and was married for more than 66 years. Larry served in the Navy from 1955 to 1958 achieving the rank of Second Class Petty Officer. His main duties included communications as a morse code operator aboard a mine sweeper that saw the Suez Canal and many other European assignments. He also received specialized ordinance training while in the Navy that sparked his eventual career. After a brief stint as a Repo Man in Brockton MA he moved his family to Joliet, IL in 1964 where he began his career with the federal government as a quality assurance engineer specializing in helicopters and munitions. He later relocated to Fairfax VA in 1971 where he continued what would eventually be a 30-year career working with the Department of the Army at Fort Belvoir. He was an avid gardener for most of his life and became a certified Master Gardener when he first retired to his dream deck house (that he built) in Manassas VA. Larry was a loyal sports fan following the Dallas Cowboys since the 1960’s often attending games after moving to Tyler in 1992. He was also an avid soccer fan and coached youth teams from 1972 to 1986 in Fairfax. Other early hobbies included tent camping, eventually upgrading to pop-up campers, which became a favorite family vacation that typically included summer trips to Huntington Beach State Park near Murrells Inlet SC for more than a decade. He was a lifelong reader and there wasn’t a single day that went by where you wouldn’t find him in his favorite recliner immersed in the latest spy thriller. He wore out a Kindle or three. Later in life he developed a relationship with his Honda Shadow 750 motorcycle, which was followed by multiple Harley Davidsons. He was known to participate in a poker run or two taking him to Colorado and other midwestern areas.

Larry passed away peacefully at home October 22, 2025.  He was preceded in death by his parents, Torry Bue Hill in 1946 and Tinnie (Singleton) Hill in 1990. He is survived by his wife Joanne (Weiss), his only brother Torry Jr. of Houston, TX, daughter Emily Hill of McKinney, TX, son Todd and wife Maureen of Atlanta GA. Grandkids include Carly Winn, Baillie Wallace, Darby Hill; and great grand kids Parker Winn, Lincoln (LJ) Winn, Rory Wallace, and Easton Wallace.

Donations may be made to The Hospice of East Texas.