One Year Anniversary of My Father’s Death
Today marks the one year Anniversary since my father, John Hill, passed away. The pictures below were taken moments before the hospital staff rushed in because the alarms on the machine started buzzing loudly as his heart began to crash.
John in his final moments at Christus Saint Vincent Hospital
As you can imagine, it has been a long hard year for both my mother and I. My mom had to learn to adjust to living life without her companion, lover and best friend of 46 years. The anniversary of a loved one’s death is always a very sad event marked by strong emotions. This year being the first anniversary of my father’s passing is undoubtedly the hardest of all yet to come. Often family members and friends of our dearly departed wish to gather together and remember their loved one, celebrate his well accomplished life and provide support for each other through this difficult time. There are many ways that I can help make a special tribute to my father on the anniversary of his death. One way is of course by saving one of the first posts of the year on his tribute site as being the one to dedicate to the anniversary of his passing.
Celebrating with Remembrance and Honor
As anyone who has been there, the death of a loved one is a very difficult experience. Today being the anniversary of the death of John Hill, beloved husband, father, big brother, grandfather and friend will be a painful day fro those who knew him and loved him, but if we celebrate it with remembrance and honor, we can relive happier memories. Reflection on the anniversary of the death of a loved one can help the grieving process and keep us close to the one who we lost. Therefore, I invite you to take a moment and reflect on all of the posts and pages I have constructed on this website during the last eight months in which I have been painstakingly developed every detail of this website and delight in the person he was. For me, I enjoy seeing the following YouTube video of him receiving one of his many wargaming awards he received throughout this years as a well-known game designer. This video can also be viewed on this page but for your convenience, I have embedded it as well.
Sharing Your Connection to John
I realize not everyone reading this knew my father and for those readers, I wish to personally thank you for taking the time to stop and read this and discover what a wonderful and dedicated man John was. For those of you who knew him you do not need me to tell you how admired and wonderful he was. If you did know him, whether you were a family member or close friend or if you only met him once or twice or even if you had heard of him or played one of his games, I welcome you to please comment below and share with everyone how you knew him. If you have photos of him or photos of you playing one of his games, please feel free to send them to me at stephaniehill@acrossadeadlyfield.com and I will be happy to post them to this site. It is my desire to maintain his legacy but it is hard to do it alone. I need your help in sharing memories and stories relevant to John Hill.
Ways to Help
If you are in the market for one of John’s games or rulebooks, please be sure to visit of the shopping pages on this site such as the ADF Amazon Store or the ADF Barnes & Noble Store. Many of John’s products are also on Ebay. In addition, Squad Leader which was on his first games and continues to be one of his most popular. There are also many ADF Resources on this site which are available for free as a download to include many of his Quick Reference Charts gamers will need when playing. Even if you are not in the market for a wargame, by purchasing anything on Amazon when you click through this website, you are helping to continue a legacy because those funds will be used to pay for web hosting and other related expenses.
Because John passed away due to heart failure, Mom and I decided to created a memorial fund through the American Heart Association in his honor in which you can choose to donate to.and that will help other heart patients receive the care and funding they need. As of today, over $1400 has been raised in John’s honor.
Comments & Prayers Welcome
As I always indicate at the end of all of my posts on this tribute site, comments and prayers and warm wishes are always welcome. I cherish, read and reply to everyone of the comments written to this site. Have a wonderful and happy 2016 and best wishes to each of you reading this.
What a great way to remember your father! Be proud and I am sure he is looking down from heaven proud of you!
Thank you Kelly for the kind words. I certainly appreciate them. Please come back again soon.
Dear Stephanie,
This site is an amazing tribute to your father. It has been a privilege to find out about him and his interests, and also your special family.
In the past half hour, I have gotten a sense of your father’s lively intellect, good humor, and genuine warmth, which by the way are living on in you. The video of the talk he gave to honor one of his colleagues spoke volumes. Watching it, I was flooded with memories of my Dad, who definitely shared some of your father’s interests. I think they would have enjoyed meeting one another.
Hopefully, you are able to take comfort from having been able to creatively BEGIN a new kind of enduring relationship with him – after he passed. Sometimes a website can be so much more than a website. Yours is the perfect example.
I know your father would be proud.
Warmly,
Isabella
Hi Isaeblla:
Thank you for your kind words. You left probably one of the sweetest comments yet left on this website and there have been some very nice and warm-hearted people commenting here.
When I designed this tribute site to my father, everything I did on it was from the heart and the comments I have received, I can see that everyone sees that.
Thank you again and God Bless! Please have a wonderful day!
Stephanie
My deepest sympathies for the loss of your Dad. They say when you die you’re completely happy and your soul lives on somewhere. Take comfort in that there is total peace after death.
I used to play wargames from time to time. I am sure I would have enjoyed your father’s games. One of my favorite quotes was made by William Tecumseh Sherman. This line applies to every wargame I play – “There is many a boy here today who looks on war as all glory, but, boys, it is all Hell.”
Rest in Peace John Hill!
Hi Joseph:
Thank you for leaving a comment on my article regarding the one year Anniversary of my father’s passing. The wargame industry definitely lost an admired and honored comrade when they lost my father. Come again soon.
Stephanie
Hi Steph! my sympathy and prayers will always be with you; and John will always wake up to pleasurable times where ever he is currently knowing that you have immortalized him memorably.
ADF is such an asset. Your setup is so simple and yet beautiful.I hope to do some changes after visiting your lovely tribute site!
Thank you Joseph for the kind words. Have a wonderful day!
What a tribute to the Legacy of your dad John Hill. What an awesome man! I am not a gamer, never have been, but I love the dedication and honor you bring to your father. What an awesome to keep his spirit and legacy alive. God bless to you and your Mom.
Thank you Suzette for the sympathy. It is my desire to create a wonderful tribute and legacy to my father. I believe everyone who has lost someone close to them should find a way to memorialize that person and honor them the best way they know how. This is my way of honoring my father. God Bless you and your family as well. Thank you for visiting and leaving a sweet comment.
Stephanie
Hello Stephanie, I’m very sorry to hear about the passing of your father, John. I have lost both of my parents and know just how difficult it can be.
I must admit I knew nothing about, in fact, never heard of, tabletop war gamming. From clicking on a few links I can see how it could be a fun way to pass some time with friends and learn about the past. Looking at the picture of the table with all the topographical terrain and small scale pieces, I’m reminded of my friends model train set that he has spent hundreds of hours creating.
Good luck with your site.
Hi Susan:
Thank you for your kind words. I do appreciate them very much. My condolences on the loss of your parents. It is indeed difficult.
Just like your friends, my father was also a huge model railroader too. He owned a shop when he first married my mother called the His garden railroad setup was also featured in Garden Railroading magazine. We still have it set up today.
Steph
What a great way to keep John Hill’s memory alive. I am very sorry for your loss and hope it gets better with time.
His wargames must be very well done and I am sure well received as well. You must be very proud of him to keep his memory alive with this site and that is very inspiring to witness. Are these games going to be available for purchase for a long time or is this just for his one year mark in passing?
thank you and god bless.
Thank you so much for your kind words. They are truly appreciated. I know in time my mother and I will heal and recover from our loss. In answer to your question, yes his wargames are going to be available for purchase for a long time, because as my father said in the video, the wargaming hobby is not going to die anytime soon. They will not just be available for just one year to mark his passing. That is a great question by the way. Here are the places on my website you can purchase them if you or anyone is interested – ADF Amazon Store, ADF Barnes & Noble Store, or Squad Leader Amazon Store anywhere on the Squad Leader page. or. Other games that he did or was involved in the design include Conflict of Heroes – Storms of Steel – Kusk 1943, Yalu, Brotherhood and Battle of Stalingrad.
Wow. This was a really sad story. I wasn’t expecting I will tear up a bit. John seemed to be a truly exceptional man and it must have been hard for you to handle his passing. I am very sorry for your loss. You are really carrying on his name in a real nice light.
Thank you Alex. I appreciate you stumbling on this website and reading about my father’s passing. Thank you for the kind words. I appreciate it.
I don´t know how I ended up on this site, but I belive in destiny. Much love and respect to you and the family of yours. Even great men have to move on. I lost my father myself last year, the photo of yours remind me very much of the last memories I have of my own father in the hospital bed… I am actually crying right now… I know how hard it is for you and especially your mom…
God bless your father and mine.
Stay strong and as my fathers last words to me was. Don´t worry John I am cool and you should be cool to.
Thank you
/John
Hi John:
As one person who lost their father last year to another, I offer my sincere empathy and condolences to you and your family, I strongly hesitated to post that picture of my father in his hospital bed, because I know people would not want to think of him that way. He was always such a strong-minded and very ambitious man who excelled at everything he put his mind too. But the reason why I posted it is because it is a reminder to all of us how precious and delicate life really is and how we should never take it for granted. We were not expecting my father to pass. This was a sudden death and in many ways, I think it makes it harder when it was not expected.
Just like you, my last memories of my father were in this hospital bed. They are not the only memories I have of him, of course, but they are the last ones I have and I do think this picture can send a message to everyone reading to never take life for granted. No one knows just how long we will have on this Earth, so take care of those you love and never left a day go by that you do not tell them so, because you could be gone the next day and have lose your opportunity. I too am starting to cry now as I write this, so now we can share those tears.
I like what your father’s last words were to you. I know what he was telling you is that you should be joyous that he is in a better place and is not in pain nor hurting. And rest assure, we will see our fathers once again someday.
God Bless you and your family as well!
Steph
I think of John every day and miss him with all my heart. The time I spent working with him on ADF is one of the best gaming experiences of my life. We lost many wonderful people in 2015, including my own father. John will live on and continue to be an inspiration to all who are touched by his life’s work.
Hi PJ:
Thank you for the kind words. I wish to offer my deepest sympathies and condolences for your loss of your father last year. You have been on my mind today because I do remember you lost your father. I also know that many people have passed in 2015. It was a sad year for many families and wargamers. Although I did not know many of the other gamers who passed away last year, I know they will never be forgotten. Thank you for leaving a comment.
Steph
My thoughts and prayers are with you. A one year anniversary of the death of someone so close to you is never an easy demarcation. I think that your continued efforts to keep his memory at the forefront for everyone who knew and loved him is fantastic and shows how much he meant to you.
I hope that you get an outpouring of photos and videos to comorate his life.
The two of you must have had a beautiful relationship.
Hi Debra:
Thank you for being such an awesome friend and leaving a very tender and sweet comment on this website. Our family was always pretty close, so yes it is hard and yes, the first Anniversary of one’s passing is always the hardest. Our next door neighbor came over recently and brought some flowers and a bottle of wine over for us. She was there at the hospital with us. It took me a while to travel there due to the long distance and it was nice to know our caring neighbor was there for Mom before I was able to get there so my mom would not be all alone.
Thank you again Debra.
Steph
Hi Stephanie,
This is such a great initiative and demonstration of the deep love you have for your father… I´m touched.
I wish that you manage to spread the word about the great man your father was.
Alex
Hi Alex:
Thank you for the kind words. I really appreciate the touching sentiment. He was a great man indeed.
Stephanie
I am very sorry for your loss. I can tell that john was a very good person and touched the lives of many. I have never heard of these games, but I am very interested. My prayers go out to the family and I will be checking into the games and rule books that John had created. Thank you for sharing this with us and God bless you.
Hi Michael:
Thank you for visiting my website today and leaving the very nice and sympathetic comment. Your warm wishes and prayers are appreciated. Happy a wonderful new year.
Stephanie