Nancy Anne Hill

Nancy Anne Hill, 66, of Bend, Ore., passed away June 1, 2021 surrounded by her family. Born in Portland, Nancy grew up in Tigard, Ore., with a brief stay in Redwood City, Calif. In sixth grade, she discovered a natural affinity for riding when the family bought their first horse. Preferring the view from between the ears of a horse to any other, she never spent another year of her life without one. Nancy graduated from Tigard High School in 1973. During her summers at Foxfield Riding Academy, Nancy spent time as a counselor teaching young equestrians, and this is where she fell in love with her second major passion: teaching. While studying science at Portland State University, she worked as a groom for Joan Carron to earn the opportunity to ride as an amateur equestrian, winning top prizes in hunter-jumper events with her horses Filly and Annie. After graduating from Portland State University in 1980, she began her career as a science teacher, settling at Mountain View High School in Bend, Ore., where she taught chemistry and physical science from 1984 to 2013. She enjoyed exciting chemistry labs, often ending with shattered objects and blown-up garbage cans, and was popular with her students. An engaging and much appreciated educator, she received several awards for teaching excellence: the Oregon Science Teachers Association Science Teacher Award in 1991-1992, and the Tandy Technology Scholars Outstanding Teacher Award in both 1992-1993 and 1993-1994. She was also a 1993-1994 GIFT Fellow. In 1998, she participated in an educator exchange, traveling to Japan and teaching in the classroom there. She loved teaching, talking often about the "lightbulb moment" where her students grasped a concept, even if that moment was how to prove Darwin right. She helped multiple students achieve careers in medicine and research or attend prestigious military service academies. Teaching also taught her why some tigers eat their young. Attracted to cowboys and fighter pilots, she wisely married neither. She focused her attention on riding fast horses, being everyone's favorite aunt, and raising hundreds of young scientists. It was impossible to go anywhere in Bend without meeting a student who loved her. Her irrepressible curiosity, dry wit and agile mind were invaluable to science education and memorable to generations of students. Nancy had a way of telling you exactly where your head was stuck and why you should fix it without making you feel bad about it. After a long battle with primary biliary cholangitis and a successful liver transplant, Nancy passed away from complications of liver cancer occurring from her original liver. An educator to the end, Nancy donated her body to OHSU. Nancy is survived by two brothers, Martin and Thomas Hill; one sister, Margaret Smith (Betsy); and her nieces and nephews. She leaves behind her horse, Woody; her dog, Jackson; her cat, Leonie; and a deeply connected community of friends. She enriched all of our lives. Please join us for a celebration of Nancy's life from 4-7 p.m., Saturday, June 12, 2021, at her sister's home (337 SE Soft Tail Loop Bend, OR 97702). In lieu of flowers, donations in her name to the OHSU Foundation and Healing Reins would be appreciated. Dearly loved, she will be sorely missed.

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Nancy Anne Hill

May 30, 1955 - June 1, 2021