Margaret Amelia Hill

Margaret Amelia Hill (1933–2025) was a brilliant and creatively gifted woman who loved sharing her many talents with family and community. Born in Oklahoma City to the Dean of the Medical School at the University of Oklahoma (OU) and a homemaker with two bachelor’s degrees, Margaret excelled academically from an early age and was an accomplished pianist. She attended OU, where her academic excellence earned her induction into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. There, she met engineering student Charles Hill; the couple married in 1954. Margaret graduated with special distinction from OU in 1955 with a Bachelor of Science degree.

Margaret and Charles then pursued master’s degrees at Louisiana State University (LSU). Her family takes great pride in the fact that she was the first woman to earn a master’s degree in theoretical mathematics from LSU. During her comprehensive oral exam, not just a select faculty committee but the entire mathematics department attended—an intimidating setting in which Margaret still excelled. Her triumph paved the way for many women to follow.

During the Korean War, Margaret and Charles lived in Virginia while he served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army. After the war, they settled in Illinois, where their daughter Jeanne was born. In 1965, Charles’s career as a petroleum engineer brought the family to Cortez, Colorado. For many years, Margaret taught mathematics and physics at Montezuma-Cortez High School.

Throughout her life, Margaret volunteered her musical gifts, playing the organ for numerous Lutheran churches—most recently, in her 90s, at Grace Lutheran in Moab, Utah. A talented seamstress, she generously shared her skills with local 4-H clubs. She delighted in quilting, was an active member of the Dolores Mountain Quilters, and earned many awards for her quilts. Margaret and Charles also enjoyed traveling across North America with the Wally Byam Airstream Club, forging lasting friendships along the way. A brilliant, caring, and deeply faithful Christian, Margaret is survived by her daughter Jeanne, son-in-law John, and grandchildren Bella and Ken. We miss her dearly.