Virginia Elizabeth Jackson Hillis was born in Atchison, Kansas September 17,
1927. She finally met her Savior face-to-face on July 9, 2025.
She had five sisters and one brother, raised during the Great Depression, all
cared for by loving and hard-working parents Arthur and Mary Jackson.
Virginia was a bit of a sickly child and didn’t walk or talk much until she was about
three years old. In her last few years, she made up for that talking deficiency.
Other than that slow start, she had normal health and grew up with her family in
the poor economic conditions of that time near Caplinger Mills. She attended a
one room school when she was young. Around her 11th birthday, Reverend
James Gates came to the area to hold a revival meeting and, as was normal for
that time, the meeting was held in the school house. During that meeting she got
saved and shortly thereafter walked to Blackjack one day and was baptized by
Reverend Gates.
She grew to become skilled in domestic things like decorating and cooking as
well as art, bowling, horseshoe throwing, riflery and bookkeeping. Her mother
taught her well at a young age. When only 12, she took a job cooking and doing
kitchen chores for some wealthy people nearby and for a short time she earned
good income to help the family.
In about 1947 the Jackson family decided to move to California after their son
joined the Navy and became stationed in San Diego. Sometime later they bought
a house in El Monte on Rio Hondo Parkway. That was where family gatherings
occurred over several years. El Monte is also where she met her husband,
Lawson C. (LC) Hillis. They soon married and began their lives together. LC was
born and raised in Alabama and had become a shipboard electrician while
serving seven years in the US Navy during World War II.
After a few weeks of living in El Monte, they began a series of moves to
numerous states in the Northeast, South and West Coast in pursuit of electrical
contractor jobs. These states included, in this order of residence – Indiana,
Illinois, Alabama, California, Tennessee, Alabama, Pennsylvania, New Jersey
and finally back to California. Then, in the early 1950s, LC heard that if you
moved to California you could actually stay somewhere and work multiple jobs
without moving. That appealed to him and in 1955 they moved to Baldwin Park, California. They bought a new house and lived there until late 1960 when he
decided to buy a bigger house on the other side of town.
They had only lived in that house a couple of months when he had a sudden
heart attack and passed away. She was only 33 years old and was devastated
and helpless at the time, with two boys ages 11 and 8. God and family helped
those three young people go forward in life together.
She never remarried and in about 1977 she relocated to Missouri to help her
parents. She later held several jobs in El Dorado Springs. She also provided care
and friendship for several ill relatives. In 2002 she moved into her home on
Allison Road and lived there 23 years until her passing. For about the last half of
her life she was a Cedar County Missouri resident.
In 2021 Virginia became the longest living person in her family of 6 siblings.
Although she seemed lonely at times, she always said she liked living on Allison
Road. After residing in this town so long, even though she outlived all her family,
she acquired an array of friends who brought her much happiness.
At her passing, she leaves two sons and daughters-in-law, Terry and Carol, and
Gale and Jeannie, seven grandchildren and eight great grandchildren, numerous
nieces and nephews and one sister-in-law.
Terry and Gale have made many visits to El Dorado Springs over the years. Terry
and Carol lived here for about nine years in the 1980s-90s. They all became
familiar with this place, had many friends and acquaintances, and grew to know
Mom better than they had in their early lives. They will miss her for her many
qualities. They now look forward to seeing her again in her risen and perfected
state.
The family wants to especially express their gratitude to St Croix Hospice of
Bolivar. Their staff was an immense help to the family, and in particular, Mom’s
nurse, RN Nancy White was not only an inspiration to us individually, but her
compassion and care for Mom seemed well beyond the scope of her job.
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