Dr. John Bunn Hill, Jr.

Dr. John Bunn Hill, Jr. died peacefully on September 28th, 2022.  He was born on Feb 14, 1942, in Davenport, IA to Jane Downing Hill and Col. John B Hill.  He lived in Moline, IL with his mother and grandmother until he was 18 months old as his dad was stationed in London during World War II.   Because his dad was in the Marine Corps, he lived in several very interesting places as a child, including Cuba, Guam and Camp Pendleton, CA.

He is survived by his wife Judy, children Thad (Margaret), Greg (Shannon), Julia Jernigan (Keith) and his 8 grandchildren, Blair, Alan, Hayes, Kappi, Channing, Sarah Margaret, Holland, Ballard and his sister Jane Hill Baxter.  He is also survived by his beloved dog Belle. He was preceded in death by his sister Nancy Hill Westerman and his parents Col. John and Jane Hill.

He graduated from Bass High School in Atlanta and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Georgia where he was a member of Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Kappa Literary Society.  In 1964, he married his high school sweetheart, Judy Haynie.   They met at a youth group at Druid Hills Methodist Church and were married there, remaining married for 58 years.   He received his M.D. from the Medical College of Georgia and following an internship at Macon (GA) General Hospital, he spent 2 years in the Navy at Camp Lejeune, NC.   He was the only Navy person on the Camp LeJeune volleyball team which became the East Coast champions.   Following his service, he did a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Charlotte Memorial Hospital in Charlotte, NC.

He came to Athens in 1974 and practiced as a member of Athens OBGYN until his retirement on Dec. 31, 2003.  His patients were very special to him and greatly loved and appreciated him and his dedication to them.  He served on the Board of Directors of the Georgia OBGYN Society for 40 years, serving in a number of capacities including president from 1995-1996, and in 2019 was honored to be presented The Georgia OBGYN Society’s most prestigious award, The Distinguished Service Award, honoring his long service. He also was a member of the South Atlantic Obstetrics and Gynecology Society, Georgia Surgical Society, Medical Association of Georgia and The Crawford W. Long Medical Society.

He spent several years on the Athens Academy Board of Trustees.  He was a longtime member of the Athens First United Methodist Church, where he served on the board in several positions and was a member of the Outreach Sunday School Class.   He was also a member of Athens Country Club and Athens Touchdown Club.

Following a private family burial, a celebration of his life will be held on Monday, October 3, 2022, at 2 PM at First United Methodist Church in Athens, Georgia followed by a reception in the Fellowship Hall.

In lieu of Flowers, the family requests donations in his memory to Athens First UMC, 327 Lumpkin St., Athens, GA 30601 (Athensfirstumc.org/give) or The Salvation Army of Athens, Georgia, PO Box 367, Athens, GA 30603.

His sense of humor was one of his best-known attributes.  His children and grandchildren were his greatest joys.   He loved to tease them and was very proud of them all.

Lord & Stephens Funeral Home, WEST, Watkinsville is in charge of arrangements. www.lordandstephens.com.