Lyle Rex Hill

Rex Hill
Obituary

Lyle Rex Hill, born in Osceloa, Iowa, November 30, 1943, died February 12, 2016. His parents, Ray Oneal Hill and Marjorie Marie Vaughn Hill, owned and operated a large farm on which Rex worked during his teenage years. After graduating from high school, Rex attended Iowa State University where he studied architecture for two years. On April 5, 1965, Rex was drafted into the U.S. Army.
Rex qualified for Officers Candidate School and attained the rank of Second Lieutenant. He continued through airborne training and fixed-wing flight school then served two terms in Viet Nam as a forward air controller attached to Special Forces with the rank of Captain. His friends and Army buddies knew him as SPAF 1.
After serving in the army for seven years, Rex was discharged at Fort Stewart, GA. and took a job on a construction crew building what is now the Georgia-Pacific sawmill in Claxton, GA. He quickly rose in the organization and became the Plant Manager. He worked for Georgia-Pacific for 28 years.
It was while Rex was working at Georgia-Pacific he realized his need for Christ. Although Rex grew up attending church, he had never made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ. On the first Tuesday in November, 1976, Rex prayed to receive Christ as his personal Lord and Savior after reading a tract he was using as a bookmark. Rex served in several capacities at Eastside Baptist Church in Claxton including Sunday School Director, Sunday School Teacher, and Director of the Brotherhood. He was active in the Georgia State Baptist Brotherhood program where he served for several years as the state coordinator for Lay-led Revivals, directing and leading many services himself. In addition, Rex served with the local chapter of the Gideons for several years. Rex was often called on to fill in for the pastor in his absence. He was an active lay speaker until he suffered a debilitating stroke in December, 1996.
In August, 2004, Rex was chosen to serve as deacon for Scott Blvd. Baptist Church in Decatur, GA. and was a member of Friendship Baptist Church in Statesboro, GA. at the time of his passing.
Rex is survived by his wife of 19 years, Deborah Timmons Hill of Glendora, California; four children: Larry Hill (Claxton), Melissa Hill Sands and her husband, Tracy (Glennville), Michael Hill and his wife, Charity (Claxton), and Amy Hill Smith and her husband, Ron (Claxton); eight grandchildren: Hannah and Noah Hill; Matthew Sands; Andrew, Laura, Emily, Jacob, Rebecca, Luke, and Jonathan Hill; Alyssa and Olivia Smith. He has 3 step children: Heather Merritt and her husband Joey (Statesboro); Naethan Hendrix and his wife, Hannah (Fredericksburg, VA); and Timothy Hendrix and his wife, Heidi (Mendes), and 8 step grandchildren: Alexandra Hendrix Merritt, Victoria Merritt, Luke Merritt, Karah Hendrix, Simeon Hendrix, Jeremiah Hendrix, Ethan Hendrix, and Sarah Hendrix.
Funeral arrangements are through the Mellie NeSmith Funeral home in Claxton, GA. The family requests, in lieu of flowers, that loved ones remember Rex’s life with donations to the Gideons or the Disabled American Veterans.