Sheril Vaughn Hill's Obituary
Sheril Vaughn Hill
1933 - 2018
Our wonderful father passed away in the early hours of April 16, 2018 after a long and courageous battle with cancer.
Sheril Vaughn Hill was born to Maxine Chambers Hill and Von Hill on one of the coldest recorded days in the history of Utah’s winters; February 24, 1933, in a pioneer log cabin. To keep him warm, his parents put him and his twin sister in the oven, cradled in bread pans. He jokes that he was only “half-baked.”
He was born during the Great Depression and grew up in the midst of World War II. War instilled in him a deep sense of patriotism that inspired him to eventually join the Air Force and serve in the Korean War.
Sheril worked hard from a young age, making a whopping 25¢ an hour at his first job and later, held coveted titles such as “gandy dancer” and “cinder snapper.”
He served a full-time mission for the LDS Church in the Northwestern United States. He drove his own Chevrolet throughout his service and lived off of $60 a month.
When Sheril returned from his missionary service, he fell in love with Loa Ann Oberhansley. He was so excited to marry her that after he had purchased her engagement ring, he ran through the front door of her home, asking her to marry him without even kneeling. They were married June 6, 1958 in the Salt Lake Temple.
His church service carried into his early professional life, teaching as a full-time seminary teacher and director of Institutes of Religion in Southern California. While teaching full time, he also attended school full time, and received a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre from Brigham Young University, and a Masters degree in Theatre from Adams State College.
He was a master teacher and motivational speaker. If you were privileged to attend one of his classes or speeches, you left inspired by him.
After receiving his Doctorate in Higher Education from the University of Southern California, Sheril became the Dean of the Evening School at Long Beach City College and later, the Dean of Instruction at Snow College.
He finished his career as the Vice President of Sales at Forever Living Products.
Sheril spent his extra time helping others; he built sets for the Southwest Shakespeare Company in Mesa, Arizona, he did extensive carpentry work for the Provo Theatre Company, and he was instrumental in helping to save the United Order Co-op in Ephraim, Utah and in starting the Scandinavian Days there. He started a little volunteer company of senior citizens in Spanish Fork, Utah that built toy cars for underprivileged children around the world. They called it A Toy is Joy, and they eventually built and donated over 40,000 wooden toy cars.
Sheril is survived by his wife, Ann, and his children, Leslie Walker (Mark), Tracy Williams (Christopher), Von Hill (Lisa) and Burke Hill (Cindy); his siblings Karen Smith, Vicky Peterson and Richard Hill, his 19 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, his siblings Barbara Horton and twin sister Sharlene Terry and his beloved son, Matthew Hill.
Funeral services will be 11:00 am, Monday, April 23, 2018 at the Spanish Fork 3rd Ward, 400 North 650 West, Spanish Fork, Utah where a viewing will be Sunday from 6:00 to 8:00 pm and Monday prior to services from 9:45 to 10:45 am. Interment in the Spanish Fork City Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, you may send donations to: scottsdalecc.edu/alumni-friends/donate
Gift Designation: Matthew Bowen Hill Memorial Scholarship
Online condolences at www.premierfuneral.com
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