For the Reporter

Doug Hill, known to the city of Kent Kent Parks staff and community members as one of its most dedicated volunteers, passed away in his sleep on Jan. 9 after a brief illness.

Hill was honored at a Dec. 17 awards dinner for contributing more than 120 hours to the Green Kent Partnership and other volunteer events over the years, beginning in 2009. His final volunteer event was Green Kent Day on Oct. 25, when, though it was clear he was battling his illness, he delighted in teaching a few more kids how to plant correctly.

Hill was a trained Green Kent steward. He elected not to have his own park site to work in but instead chose to support the work of all the other stewards. Because of his many contributions, he was inducted as a master steward.

“I want to remember Doug as the man who showed up at my event last spring,” said Gina Tallarigo, a fellow Green Kent steward. “It was a gorgeous, sunny day, and Doug showed up right on time. … I asked Doug to give the safety talk. He gave the most thorough safety talk I ever heard.

“This was the day we removed many laurels, not just the branches, but a majority of the trees,” Tallarigo said. “Doug was so pleased to be part of this huge accomplishment.

“As we all know, Doug was very knowledgeable about a lot of topics, and no one knew the history of Kent as much as he did. He could tell a great story, and he was typically serious, at least when I would see him. The day was fun and productive, and I saw the super joyful, even silly side of Doug, the Doug Hill I will remember.”

Hill’s wife, Vickie Lynn, said that in lieu of flowers, he requested that people volunteer at Kent Parks or their local park.