Dawn Gay Hill

On October 15, 2020 Dawn Gay Hill passed from this earthly life to her eternal home. Dawn was born on December 28, 1958 to Reid and Bernice Barney in Yakima, Washington. For the early years of her life she lived with her family in Sawyer, Washington. She attended the Parker Heights Elementary School until 5th grade when her parents bought a 26 acre farm just outside of Wapato, Washington. She then attended the Wapato Intermediate School, Wapato Junior High School, and Wapato High School. While in high school Dawn had many friends, and was the one everyone turned to to tell their problems. She loved attending all the school dances and other activities. Dawn also was active in cross country and track and field. She competed in several different events including: high jump, hurdles, 220 and 440. Her favorite was probably relay races. She was able to compete in several state track meets. Dawn and her sisters also ran for a summer track club competing around the state of Washington.

During these early years Dawn also learned to work. She had to pick up rocks to clear the land, change sprinklers, and weed the garden. She also had jobs in the community working at the local bakery, the local DQ and summer jobs working in the valley warehouses.

Upon graduation from High School Dawn attended Eastern Washington State College, taking only three years to graduate with a BA in education. She returned home to Wapato to do her student teaching at her alma mater Wapato High School.

Life then turned her in a different direction. While working at a restaurant in Yakima, Dawn met and later married her husband George Otis Hill. They were married October 9, 1980 and started raising their family of 3 boys and 1 girl.

She spent most of her years as a homemaker and even though she hated cleaning she knew taking care of her family was the most important job she could ever have. She loved cooking and became somewhat famous for her chocolate chip cookies. As her children grew she would sometimes find her way back into the education system. She would substitute whenever she could and started taking classes to become a special education teacher at one point. For a short time Dawn was able to work with the Sunnyside Police Department and Sunnyside School district in a special program aimed at teaching gang members and other troubled students who were not doing well in the regular school classrooms.

Much to Dawn’s disappointment, health issues and others things prevented her from getting back into the classroom full time. Another heart break that had to be faced was when she and her husband separated in 2010.

Moving forward Dawn concentrated on things she loved: her children, grandchildren, dogs, collecting copper pots and bells plus other old and “interesting” kinds of things. Happily Dawn and George were remarried on February 17, 2018 and they have been living in Morton, Washington for the last few years taking care of each other.

Dawn is preceded in death by her parents Reid and Bernice Barney, brother Reid “Pete” Barney, and daughter Kristy Dawn Morgan. She is survived by her husband George Otis Hill; sons Joshua Hill, Chad Hill, and Tucker Hill; Step Children, Jeff Hill and April Flascher; Grandchildren Chyenne, Cody, Jonathan, Sammy, Katie, Remington, Jordyn, Kayden, Korben, Greyson, Gracie, Ben and Emmett; 3 brothers and sisters-in-laws, 4 sisters and brothers-in-laws and many, many nieces and nephews.