Marie Elizabeth Hill (née Boddy) died peacefully on May 10, 2018, in Morgan Hill, California.  A native Californian born outside of Sacramento in 1925, she grew up in Redding.  At a young age, after a classmate accidentally hit her in the head with a brick, she spent numerous recesses sitting by herself and quietly reading the entire Wizard of Oz series, which accounts in part for her life-long love of books.

During World War II, Marie worked for the weather service in Northern California, stationed at an airport where she watched the skies for inclement weather and enemy planes.  Once the war ended, she worked in the library at San Jose State University and, after a whirlwind courtship, accepted an unexpected New Year's Eve proposal from James Harris Hill, whom she married in January 1948 and loved dearly until his death in December 2017.

Marie was passionate about helping children.  While her own children were growing, she devoted herself not only to their care but also to the care of others in the San Jose area where she and James had settled. In particular, during her decades-long involvement with the Girl Scouts of America, she volunteered as leader of several Scout troops, headed funding drives, served as district cookie chairperson, accompanied Scouts on overnight hikes, organized numerous day camps (including the county's inaugral horseback-riding camp), and developed opportunities for girls of all ages to learn, laugh, lead, and flourish.

When her own children were grown, she returned to San Jose State University to earn a Masters degree in Psychology, after which, she volunteered with Friends Outside and then worked for many years as a school psychologist in San Jose elementary and middle schools.  She was an active member of the Santa Clara County Association of School Psychologists, serving as Secretary to the Executive Board, and a tireless advocate for students' needs.  She finally retired, reluctantly, at the age of seventy-nine.

Marie was predeceased by her son, Brian, and her husband, James, and is survived by her daughters, Susan and Carolyn, as well as by her grandchildren, Paul, Joseph, and Elinor, granddaughter-in-law, Valentina, and daughter-in-law, Mary.