Michael J. Hill

Michael J. Hill, 75, of Austintown, died January 17, 2025 after a brief battle with cancer. He was retired from a 30-year career as a writer and editor in the fields of journalism and legal publishing. 

He was born Feb. 3, 1949, in Dubuque, Iowa, the son of Arthur C. Hill Jr. and Rosemary Jogerst Hill (Wood). Before moving to Ohio in 1984, he had lived in Platteville, Wisconsin; St. Joseph, Michigan; and Ozark, Missouri. He had attended Michigan State University and later graduated magna cum laude from Hiram (Ohio) College, with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications. 

He was a 1967 graduate of St. Joseph Catholic High School; his academic honors included placing in the 99th percentile of those taking the SAT and ACT national tests that year. 

He is survived by a daughter, Alicia Rose Hill of Mineral Ridge, Ohio; two brothers, Peter Hill (and wife Christal) of Camdenton, Mo. and Thomas Hill of Buffalo, Mo.; and two sisters, Julie Hill Moore (and husband Jeff) of Muskegon, Mich., and Jenifer Hill Denney (and husband Jason), of Springfield, Mo.; as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

He is also survived by an aunt, Jean Hill Duncan, of Marshal, Illinois; and by lifelong friends Matthew Willey, Earl Shulz, and Dan McKinley.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother, Daniel Hill, in 2017; and by grandparents Marguerite and Arthur Hill Sr., and Irene and Donald Jogerst.

After moving to Ohio, he was a general assignment reporter, courthouse reporter, Sunday editor and weekly columnist at the Lisbon Morning Journal, and was the editor of the Canfield Courier and the Canfield Town Crier. From 2001 until 2010, he was a senior editor for Thomson-Reuters in Independence, Ohio.

After retiring, Michael participated onstage and/or backstage at more than a dozen productions at Trumbull New Theater, where he was a member, and took part in performances at several other local venues in Salem, Lisbon, Youngstown, and Sharon, Pa. His writing interests included fiction, songs and haiku, and he was the author of “Hold That Thought,” a one-act play presented at the Youngstown Playhouse in 2014 and at TNT in 2021.

In the field of nonfiction, he spent many years gathering material about the life of Pittsburgh-born songwriter Stephen Foster and his many connections to northeast Ohio, with the intention of writing a biography to be called Way Down Upon the Mahoning River.

An amateur musician, he enjoyed singing and playing guitar at local jam sessions and open mic events. He was also an admirer of the music of the Grateful Dead and of painter Albert Bierstadt’s Western landscapes.

In addition to the church and TNT, he was a member of the Mahoning River Consortium, Dulci-More Folk and Traditional Musicians, and the Monday Night Writers’ group. Michael had also served for many years as a poll worker for the Mahoning County Board of Elections.

A memorial service will be held at Lane Funeral Home – Austintown Chapel on March 15, 2025. Family will receive friends at 1:00pm followed by a service at 2:00pm.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made to Trumbull New Theatre www.trumbullnewtheatre.com.