John Robert Hill, Sr. passed away peacefully with his children by his side on October 24, 2022 in Hendersonville, NC. He was known for his charming personality, positive attitude and mainly his kind heart. He loved sharing his lessons on life through his great stories. When asked how he was feeling, he would always respond “A little short…short of fantastic!”
John was born on February 21, 1926 in Pensacola, FL although he grew up in the Jackson, Mississippi area. He lived with his grandparents during the great depression and was responsible for milking their cows twice a day on their dairy farm. He attended French Camp Academy with his brother and sister where they were given a wonderful education. John enjoyed playing football and basketball at the academy.
Upon graduation he joined the US Navy during World War II, where he trained in the Officer’s Training Program. John was stationed with Johnny Carson and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar. He often said Zig taught him a lot about the power of positive thinking and Carson helped with his sense of humor.
John attended Ohio State University and earned a Bachelor’s of Science and a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering. He was a member of Kappa Sigma Social Fraternity where he met many lifelong friends. He worked for Ethyl Corporation in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in the chemical research and market development areas. John met his future wife, Carolyn Withrow Stafford, at church through a good friend and they were married in 1957. They had three children and being a father was everything to him. He was a loving husband to his beautiful bride for 48 years before she died in 2005.
John loved following stocks and commodities and began charting the markets. This gave him the initiative to publish a newsletter with his predictions on market trends. The newsletter began to gain notoriety and was noticed by the trading firm, Paine Webber. John decided to resign from Ethyl Corporation and pursue a new career. He successfully ran several companies including a commodities brokerage, a trading advisor and Futures Truth, a newsletter to track trading systems performance. He wrote several best-selling trading books over the course of his career and was a regular speaker at commodities conferences. Even into his later years, he could be found studying charts and commenting on the direction of the markets.
John wanted the best for his family, so he moved them to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains in Hendersonville, NC. He purchased a farm with spectacular views of the mountains. It has instilled in his kids and grandkids the love of nature and the joy of a beautiful sunset. John loved his farm and town and would often say, “If you stay here a month, you’ll never leave.”
John had an adventuresome spirit and at 84 he decided to try skydiving. He enjoyed playing tennis and running but his sport of choice was golf. He began playing at an early age and joined the Baton Rouge Country Club. He then joined the Hendersonville Country Club where he was a member for 45 years. In his later years he was known to finish with a golf score below his actual age.
John is predeceased by his wife and siblings. He leaves three children, John Robert Hill Jr. (Eileen), Holliston Hill Hurd (Christopher) and Lundy Stafford Hill. He also leaves six grandchildren Dylan Robert Hurd, Waverly Withrow Hurd, Emily Conlyn Hill, Chelsea Kathryn Hurd, Natalie Mae Hill and Audrey Louise Hill.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to French Camp Academy, One Fine Place, French Camp, MS, 39745. A Celebration of Life for close friends and family will be held at the Hendersonville Country Club on Friday, November 25, 2022, at 3:00 pm. Jackson Funeral Service is assisting with the arrangements.