Jack Hill, 85, of Iowa City and formerly of Long Grove, died peacefully on Sept. 7, 2023, surrounded by his family at home.
Jack is survived by his wife, Susan, of 62 years, and his children: Jennifer Hill DDS, PhD, living in Lame Deer, Mont.; Brian Hill of Long Grove; James (Mary) Hill of Donahue; and Katie (Chris) Skorupski of Dubuque. Along with three grandchildren: Chris (Andrea) Skorupski, Alaina (Chris) Grubb and Rowan Hill, along with two great-grandchildren, Jamie Grubb and Beatrice Jack Grubb, a very special nephew, Merle (Cathy) Hill of Hills, Iowa, and Jack’s brother-in-law and sister-in-law, George (Midge) Horton of Vining, Iowa.
Jack settled his family in Long Grove in 1964 to be closer to Jack’s job at the Rock Island Arsenal, where he worked from 1962 until retiring in 1993.
Jack was first elected to the Long Grove City Council in 1972 after returning from his first tour in Germany, working for the Department of the Army. In 1973, in the next city election, Jack was elected mayor of Long Grove, serving throughout the 70s and 80s. During that time, Jack was also active with the North Scott School Board, serving first as treasurer and then as a member of the board in 1969.
In the 1970s and 80s as mayor of Long Grove, Jack helped build the city budget and oversaw a great time of growth in the community. Taking a break in 1986, Jack moved back to Germany to work for the commander of V Corps in Frankfurt, Germany.
Upon returning from Germany in 1993 and his retirement from the Arsenal, Jack was able to spend even more time volunteering and working in the community and Scott County. Jack was re-elected mayor of Long Grove in 1994 after serving on the council for a short time. Jack was also re-elected to the North Scott School Board.
Jack was the longest serving member on both the Scott County Medical Board and the board of Scott County Workforce Development. He also spent some time teaching at Scott Community College. Jack was very active with the Sesquicentennial Celebrations for the state of Iowa serving on the board for Scott County. With Jack’s help, Scott County won the top prize from the state for their project that brought about the Cody Trail system and markings that include the bike path between Long Grove and Eldridge.
In total, Jack had over 40 years of service to both the nation and his community, serving in the National Guard, working for the Department of the Army, serving as mayor of Long Grove and on the North Scott School Board.
Jack earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Iowa while on an athletic scholarship in cross country and track and field. During this time, he earned six varsity letters. Jack loved to say it would have been eight, but they didn’t allow freshmen to get varsity letters. Jack volunteered as an official timer for many track and field events. Jack also looked forward to participating in Senior Day at Kinnick Stadium during football season. Jack was a season ticket holder for numerous men’s and women’s sports, going back to the 1960s.
Along with his bachelor’s degree, Jack also earned his MBA from the University of Iowa in 1968. After moving to Iowa City in 2010, Jack spent a few years tutoring student athletes in math. Jack was well liked by all that knew him and loved greatly by his family. They were extremely proud of all he achieved in his long life. Jack loved the Hawkeyes (especially Saturday games days in Iowa City), a good cigar, Belgian Ale, beating his son-in-law in cribbage and his family.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed toward Iowa City Hospice.
Online condolences and memories may be shared at www.lensingfuneral.com.
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