James H. Hill, age 72, of Helena

James H. (Jim) Hill    Oct 10, 1949 – April 15, 2022

In the early morning hours on Good Friday, Jim passed peacefully into the presence of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He was born in Stockton, CA to Vickye and Jack Hill and grew up in Manteca, CA. He was an excellent athlete and played numerous sports and loved fishing. He especially excelled in baseball, playing at the collegiate level in 1969-1972 for Biola College (now Biola University). Jim’s career hitting record for “most triples” (11) remains unbroken since 1972, second in Biola’s all-time records for the category. Jim was a 1972 NAIA All-American Baseball nominee and a two-time All-District player, District 3. A two-time team MVP, he lead his 1972 team in all six batting categories. He was invited to enter the Cincinnati Reds farm team system but chose instead to pursue a career in education, raise a family, and go fishing whenever possible.

Jim married Claudia Kennedy in January of 1970 and they had two children, Scott and GraceJoy. In 1975, Jim was the founding principal of Immanuel Christian School in Ridgecrest, CA. In 1978, he moved his family to Conrad, MT and was the founding principal of Conrad Christian School. The following year, he was asked to consult the leaders at Church on the Lake in Incline Village, NV on their plans for a new Christian school. Ever-loving any adventure with world-class fishing potential, he and the family moved to Tahoe, where the kids learned to fish, snow ski, swim, and build creek-side forts. After two years, they returned to Conrad, MT. In 1989, Jim and Claudia moved to Laurel, MT, where he taught at Laurel Middle School and earned his MA, Special Education at MSU. He also coached volleyball, track, football, and volunteered annually for Special Olympics.

Jim was a licensed contractor in his spare time and built a beautiful home in the country outside Laurel.  In 2010, they moved to Helena, MT to be closer to family. Jim enjoyed working part-time at Home Depot for several years. He had numerous fishing buddies who joined him regularly to catch whatever was biting. His fishing trophies include a 20 lb 9 oz brown trout and a 16 lb giant walleye, now proudly on display at Bob Wards Sports & Outdoors in Helena. Once, he netted six different species of fish on one Missouri River fishing trip. Jim was a devout Christian and was never shy about that fact, sharing about the love of Jesus with whomever would listen. He volunteered many hours weekly to help kids and young people, teach Sunday School, and build new churches for his own congregations and for others. Jim gave his time, resources, and skills to help anyone in need, kids especially. He was an active member of Fathers in the Field and Helena’s Big Sky Fellowship.

Jim is survived by his wife of 52 years, Claudia, his son Scott (Heather) of Helena, MT, his daughter GraceJoy Cebrero (Geronimo) of Minneapolis, MN, his sisters Bobbie Kriz (Ed) of Roseville, CA, and Georgia Tyson of Visalia, CA, his three grandchildren Owen, Olivia, and Eleanor of Minneapolis, MN, and two foster sons, Kevin Berger and Justin Mann, formerly of Laurel, MT. He was preceded in death by his parents Hampton Jack and Victoria (Vickye) Beasley Hill and sister Virginia Knudsen.

A memorial celebration of Jim’s life will be held at 2 pm on Saturday, June 4^th , at Big Sky Fellowship, 7610 Roughsawn Dr., Helena, MT. Memorials in Jim’s name may be made to fathersinthefield.com.

Service Schedule

Memorial Service

2 p.m.

Saturday June 4, 2022

Big Sky Fellowship

7610 Roughsawn Drive

Helena, Montana

View map

Burial

,

View map

Share

Send flowers

Please visit the floral shop page for assistance in choosing a local florist.

Photo Gallery

Share your photos