Nancy Lorene Hill

Mrs. Nancy Hill, 82, of Christiana, Tennessee passed away on Monday, May 19, 2025. She was born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee on Sunday, August 23, 1942. Preceding her in death were her husband of 58 years, Charles Hill; daughter, Melinda Denise Hill; parents, Cecil and Rosie Delbridge Mason; brothers, JD Mason, Billy Ray Mason, Bobby Lee Mason, and Cecil Jr. Mason; sisters, Ruby Dale Richards and Emma Jean Underwood.

She is survived by her sons, Ken (Cathy) Hill and Dallas (Connie) Hill; sister, Johnnie Mae Lowe; 5 grandchildren; and 16 great grandchildren.

Nancy attended the Buchanan School for her elementary and secondary education. During that time, she met and married the love of her life, Charles. At the ripe age of 16, she had much of her life ahead of her, and Nancy wasn't going to let anything stand in the way of her living it. Convinced she was going to be a famous basketball player, Charles just had to make room for the spotlight that followed her. She went on to earn her Bachelors of Arts from Middle Tennessee State University and did substitute teaching for a short while before a new challenge came their way.

Charles and Nancy welcomed their little bundle of joy into the world, Melinda Denise Hill, and oh, how Nancy adored her. Melinda had down syndrome, and Nancy devoted herself to caring for her daughter. It suited her well because Nancy seemed to have a heart for the underdog, figuratively and literally. Rescues seemed to find their way to Nancy's house, and lucky for them, it seemed if they were prone to biting people, Nancy loved them all the more. Every dog she owned bit someone, but even though she didn't have the best luck with that, her luck never ran short when it came to people not being too upset about the incident.

She had a certain level of tact and sternness about her that let you know not to mess with Mrs. Nancy. Between caring for her husband and three children, Nancy wasn't messing around. Someone should have set a timer on her. It seemed she could whip up a meal in 3 minutes flat, but Ken and Dallas liked to give her a hard time calling her biscuits "brickets" and letting her know her turnip greens could use a little help. Nancy took the comments in stride and kept on trucking with a few of her own quick-witted remarks to shoot back at them.

In her spare time, Nancy put her detail-oriented and structured nature into practice by joining a quilting club. She had a group of ladies that she quilted with regularly, and it especially kept her hands busy when Charles passed in 2016 and Melinda in 2019 until her own health began to fail. If you knew Nancy, there were probably two things you noticed very quickly.

First off, she stood out from the crowd. That spotlight never did stop following her, and her kids and grandkids can confirm that she accomplished being a famous basketball player at least in her own mind. Secondly, Nancy kept everyone on the edge of their seat. Whether it was anticipating what she was going to say or what she was going to do, your guess was as good as the next person. She kept things exciting and eventful all the way up until her last days, and Nancy wouldn't have had it any other way.

The family held private services at Delbridge Cemetery. Hunter Hendricks officiated.

Share memories and condolences at www.gentrysmithfuneralhome.com Gentry-Smith Funeral Home, 303 Murfreesboro Rd. Woodbury, TN 37190, 615-563-5337 Because every life has a story