Billie Rae Hill, 87, of Yorktown, Virginia, passed away peacefully on June 25, 2025. Born on March 12, 1938, Billie was a devoted wife, loving family member, and a dedicated civil servant. She proudly served her country for 42 years through her work with the United States Coast Guard, where her professionalism and commitment left a lasting impact.
Billie is preceded in death by her parents, William and Sylvia Mason, and her brother, Bill Mason. She is survived by her beloved husband of 67 years, Tom Hill; her sister-in-law, Cindy Mason; her brother-in-law, John (Kim) Hill; and her cherished nieces, Kim (Chris) Adkins, Kristina (Justin) Byrum, Amy (Scott) Bennetta; and her nephew, Tom Hill.
A visitation will be held at 1:00 p.m., followed by a funeral service at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, at Peninsula Funeral Home in Newport News, Virginia. Burial will follow at Peninsula Memorial Park.
Billie’s life was a beautiful example of dedication, joy, and love. She will be remembered with deep affection and enduring respect.
Please visit Billie’s tribute page on the Alzheimer’s Association website at the link below. We will continue to fight to end this terrible disease that ultimately took Billie, and for Tom, who continues his daily battle. https://act.alz.org/site/TR/Events/Tributes-AlzheimersChampions?pxfid=972264&fr_id=1060&pg=fund
14 Comments
Dear Tom & Family, I am heartbroken to learn of Billie Rae’s passing. The memories of all of our good times together are with me constantly. I pray that you & your Family will be blessed with comfort throughout this difficult time.
Billie and I worked together at the Coast Guard Training Center in Yorktown. I was the School Chief of the Officer Candidate School and Billie was my secretary and advisor on all things of value to the students and staff. My wife and I developed a lifelong friendship with Billie and Tom that has endured and gotten stronger over these many years. She will be deeply missed.
What a wonderful lady and she touched so many lives. You will truly be missed!
I was an officer candidate in 1984 and Billie was the Officer Candidate School (OCS) secretary. She was always a breath of fresh air during a stressful time at school! I came back in the early 1990s to be the Assistant School Chief of OCS, and…Billie was still there. Billie new the school operations so well. She wasn’t just the face of continuity. She really came to represent OCS for all of us that matriculated there (Yorktown VA) or who worked there on staff. I still can’t imagine OCS without her. Thank you Billie for your steadfast dedication to the USCG and to all of us you supported and guided through your many years of service at Yorktown. To say you’ll be missed is the very definition of “understatement!”
What a wonderful lady Billie was. I got to know her through Tom who I work for at the pay office at RTC Yorktown. My thoughts and prayers are with the family and especially with Tom. They were both extremely special to me during my time at Yorktown.
I remember Billie from the many times I went to Yorktown, she was a class act. Prayers to her family.
Billie Hill was the constant that ran through the Coast Guard’s Officer Candidate School program while it was in Yorktown, Virginia, and there were serious questions asked when the organization decided to move OCS to New London, CT about whether the program could function without Billie Hill. Somehow OCS survived, and she added her meticulous planning, kindness, and love to the international officer programs in Yorktown. It felt like being home each time we occasionally spoke on the phone for those 30+ years between graduating from OCS and retiring from active duty. She was “one of a kind,” and her purpose driven life positively impacted tens of thousands along the way. She made the Coast Guard better…
I like so many others met Miss Billie while going through OCS. I then had the distinct pleasure of working across the hall from her as part of the Inspections & Investigations School from 2006 to 2010.
I always enjoyed visiting with Miss Billie and no day was complete without dropping by to say hello with a cold diet coke in hand which she loved. She was always very gracious and kind.
When she retired, the parade field was filled to capacity. Such a special lady! I’m better for having known her.
Having known Billie for over 40 years, I was saddened to learn of her passing. She certainly was one of a kind, who loved her family and friends fiercely. Billie was always the fashionista with everything coordinated from head to toe. While we were fortunate to travel to many places with Tom and Billie, it was always a fun adventure. Packing for Billie’s first trip to Europe was a major planning event, especially when I told her she could only take 3 pairs of shoes. Oh, how she loved her shoes!
I was so lucky to share my time with Billie and will miss her terribly. Rest in peace, my friend.
Billie andI were distant cousins and playmates. Our houses were back to back and we spent many hours in the field between,making mud pies and anything else a 3 and4 year old could think of. Once we were grown and married we didn’t see much of each other but when we did we would pickup where we left off. She was a dear friend and I will miss my playmate. Love you Billie.
So sorry to hear of Billies demise, she was a lovely lady.
Billie Rae and I were maternal cousins as our mothers were sisters raised on Chincoteague Island, VA. Even though I lived in DE we had many visits during our childhood and adulthood to the island of Chincoteague for our family get togethers. Billie Rae was always one classy and beautiful lady inside and out. My sister, Joan, and I always looked forward to Billie Rae and Tommy’s visits to DE just to get together and talk about old times. So sorry Cindy, girls and families for your loss and I know you will miss Billie Rae but she is at peace with her parents and brother, Bill. God Bless
You will be missed . Took care her and her husband at commonwealth in Williamsburg and English meadows . Billie always kept a smile on her face daily .
Billie served as my Administrative Assistant during my assignment as Chief, International Maritime Officers Course at Tracen Yorktown from 2002 to 2006. Her extraordinary efforts helped make that tour one the easiest and most enjoyable assignments of my career. She was a de facto mother figure to students and staff, and remembered fondly by all. She appreciated our efforts in celebrating her birthday and observing Administrative Assistants Day, but making a mess of the supply closet was not tolerated, lol. Rest in peace Mrs. Hill.