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Maurice James Hill was born in Pittsburgh on December 1, 1959, the first son of Evelyn Alberta Hill and Frank James Hill, Jr. While his mother nurtured him, his father inspired him toward entrepreneurship. From an early age, Maurice spent many of his after-school hours working at HillDay Statutory, his father’s company that was renown as a leading maker of specialty items commemorating Black athletes.
When his family prepared to relocate to Chicago, Maurice implored them to allow him to remain in Pittsburgh. It was the 1970s, and the teenager was quite popular at Westinghouse High School. With family consent, Maurice got to stay in Pittsburgh, living under the disciplined supervision of his beloved grandmother Hattie Mae Hill through graduation, making good grades, and earning the Westinghouse Best Dressed & Most Handsome Boshar Award.
In his early career, Maurice worked as a salesman at J. Marcus Wholesalers for 20 years. He was a sanitation worker for the City of Pittsburgh and the director of the South Atlantic Personal Care Home. He was also the founder of the East Pittsburgh Youth Initiative. Throughout the experiences, Maurice kept the entrepreneurial fire burning in his spirit.
The hallmarks of his personality and character ultimately propelled his successful ventures in general contracting, real estate, and interior design. In addition to buying, renovating, and managing several rental properties, Maurice led the successful negotiations for the purchase of property for the relocation of New Day Ministries of Pittsburgh. And when the deal was done, he even led the church renovations. Rededicating his life to the Lord in 2008, he was baptized in 2009 and became a licensed minister in 2015.
He worked so hard because family was most important to Maurice. He considered his mother as his best friend, he always spoke highly of his children’s accomplishments, and he loved showering his family and friends with lavish gifts. He did not allow too many days to pass without “shooting the breeze” with his brothers Shawn and Rodrigquez. He was a fantastic cook who knew how to “burn” in the kitchen while listening to his favorite soul music from James Brown and his favorite gospel songs “Hear My Voice by Rance Allen and “Deliver Me” by Donald Lawrence. He had a flair for nostalgic TV, too, as he loved to kick back and relax while watching reruns of classics like “Gunsmoke” and “The Andy Griffith Show.”
After a brief illness, Maurice passed away on April 25, 2021. He is forever loved by his son, Marcell M. Hill, and his three daughters Monica L. Hill, Chardae M. Hill, and Marcia C. Hill. Maurice’s mother Evelyn A. Hill eternally embraces her eldest son in the center of her heart while he is also remembered with unwavering love by his five siblings and their families, including brother Shawn M. Hill and his wife, Hilary (Atlanta, GA), brother Rodrigquez J. Hill and his wife, Roxanne (Bolingbrook, IL), sister Argentina M. James Harris and her husband, Roger (Pearland, TX), sister Tawanda R. Wright and her Fiancée Raymond Roach (Atlanta, GA), brother Frank James Hill, III (Bolingbrook, IL), nieces and nephews Michelle R. Hill, Diann Hill, Shawn “Mark” Hill, Michael Hill, Avery Hill, Alicia R. Hill, Argentina “Taylor” James, Colen J. James, and Ashton Wright, and granddaughter Carina J. Hill. Fond memories also endure among Cheryl Felix Hill, mother of Monica and Marcell, Deborah Geter, mother of Chardae, Denise Thompson, mother of Marcia, his stepdaughter Briana Kennedy, his stepdaughter U.S. Navy ABH3 Nina Kennedy, and a host of his aunts, uncles, cousins, extended family members, friends, and employees.
We rejoice as Maurice is met and ushered into glory by our Heavenly Father, the Lord and Savior, and the Holy Spirit in the company of the family angels who preceded him, including his father Frank James Hill, Jr., his maternal grandparents Ella Mae and Fred Harris, his paternal grandparents Hattie Mae and Frank James Hill, Sr., and uncles and aunts.
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