Betty Jean (Duffey) Hill

Betty Jean Hill, age 94, of Hillsboro, Illinois passed away on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at 6:45 a.m. at Eastern Star Home in Macon, Illinois. Funeral Services for Betty will be held on March 24, 2025, at Bass Patton Dean Funeral Home in Hillsboro, Illinois at 11:00 a.m. Visitation will be held from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. until the time of service. Rev. Ivy Gill, minister at Free Methodist Church of Mt. Olive, will be officiating. Burial will be held at Oak Grove Cemetery in Hillsboro, Illinois.

Born on November 28, 1930, in Bensenville, Illinois, to John and Maggie (Hudson) Duffey, Betty was the youngest of 5 children, with 3 older brothers and the eldest her sister and raised during the Great Depression. She may have been pampered, but she often had to fight for time and attention being so much younger than the rest. She learned early on how to hold her own— she was scrappy, tenacious, and never one to back down from a challenge.

On September 17, 1949, she married Clarence Edward Hill in Bensenville, and together they built a life centered around love, family, and adventure. They had two children and, over the years, an ever-growing circle of loved ones whose lives she touched in countless ways. 

In the 1970s, she worked as a hall monitor at the local high school, earning the infamous nickname “Drill Sergeant.” She took pride in keeping order, a reflection of her meticulous and determined nature.  Church was a cornerstone of her life. She was a member of the Lutheran Church in Bensenville as well as Calvary Baptist Church in Hillsboro, often attending Sunday services and participating in senior events. She built a strong relationship with Pastor James Palmer. Betty was also an active member of the Lions Club and the Order of the Eastern Star, dedicating her time to service and fellowship.

Above all, she was devoted to family. She never missed a birthday, anniversary, or Christmas—her cards always arrived on time, if not early. Planning trips and visiting family across the country was her passion, giving her the perfect reason to convince Clarence to embark on yet another road trip. She was a road warrior at heart.  She was a perfectionist, persistent and defiant, family-centric and restless, a dreamer and a princess, omniscient and ornery, outspoken, and particular. She loved deeply, even if she sometimes struggled to show it. She was, in every way, unapologetically herself.

Preceding Betty in death are her husband, Clarence; brothers, John William Duffey, James Emmett Duffey, Robert Duffey; sister, Edna Davis, granddaughter Stacey Walvoord and grandson Jason Bristle.

She leaves behind her children, Donna Bristle of Oakdale, MN and Pastor Willard (Rocio) Hill of Greater Houston, TX; grandchildren, Joanna Bristle, Julianna (Dan) Daniels, Steven (Stephanie) Hill, Shawnesy (Bruce) Smith, Johnny Bristle and Joe (Claudia) Daniels; great grandchildren, Kyleigh Gammill, Kacee Strickland, Brayden Bristle, Molly Bristle, Colin Bristle, Abigail Hill, Christopher Hill, Michael Hill, James Hill, Adam Walvoord, Jace Daniels, Addisyn Daniels, Vaeh Smith, Addisyn Smith, Tegan Daniels and Lane Daniels.

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