Kenneth Allen Hill, 87, resident of Huntsville, AL, passed away on Saturday, October 14, 2017. Ken was born to William Troy Hill and Georgia O’Dell Hill on July 16, 1930. He and his 2 sisters grew up in Charleston, SC. After high school graduation he enlisted in the Air Force and served in the Korean War. He was awarded the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the United Nations Medal. He was injured in combat but went on to attend the Citadel on a football scholarship. He was the first football letterman to graduate with a degree in Engineering. After graduation, he married Jane Jarrard at the Summeral Chapel on the Citadel Campus. He then went to work for the Army Corps of Engineers. His career led him to Huntsville, AL in 1960 where Ken became a Registered Professional Engineer and worked for NASA, serving under Dr. Werhner Von Braun and the German Rocket Team. He was chief of the Structural Test Division and managed the fabrication and testing of many Saturn, Skylab and Shuttle structural test programs including the first stacking of a Shuttle system in MSFC’s vertical Dynamic Test Stand. He received the Director’s Commendation, Launch Honoree and other distinctions. Ken was a certified pilot, scuba diver, and dive-instructor. A true Renaissance Man, he mastered every activity in which he participated. He was an accomplished hunter, fisherman, poet, builder and multi-sport athlete. His greatest love was his family. Nicknamed “Big Blue”, this larger-than-life-man had the respect and admiration of his entire family, his friends, and his co-workers. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Jane Jarrard Hill; daughters, Karen Taylor (Curtis), Leesa Stroud (William), and Alison Junen (Kendall); grandchildren, Matthew Taylor (Nicole), Lauren Bodenhamer (Josh), Jonathan Taylor (Lauren), Will Stroud (Brittiany), Taylor Stroud (Jessica), Kellie Garrett (Sean), Patrick Junen, Daniel Junen, and Rachel Junen; eleven great-grandchildren; sisters, Juanita Street of Cornelius, North Carolina and Jacqueline Louvier of Port Arthur, Texas; and his beloved dog, Champ. A private family burial will be held at a later date. Memorials may be made to Big Oak Ranch, 250 Jake Mintz Road, Gadsden, AL 35905 or the Downtown Rescue Mission, 1400 Evangel Drive, Huntsville 35816.
Posted in: Huntsville Times
Posted on: 2017-10-16
Link to original obituary: http://obits.al.com/obituaries/huntsville/obituary.aspx?n=kenneth-allen-hill&pid=186950407