Wendy A. Witherell Hill, 87, died peacefully in her sleep on Feb. 3, 2021, following the effects of a stroke.
Born Oct. 7, 1933, in Troy, New York, Wendy Witherell Hill graduated from Emma Willard School in 1951, and Cornell University in 1955. She and her husband Robert wed in 1955 and enjoyed 65 years of marriage together. A lifelong athlete, Witherell Hill was a waterskiing pioneer and national champion in her early years, as she spent every summer on Lake George, New York. The family’s camp became the heart of five generations of her close-knit family, gathering for summer adventures on the water and in the surrounding mountain trails.
In the late 1960s, she became one of the first female professional Alpine ski instructors in the U.S. and worked as a ski instructor and racing coach for nearly five decades at Killington, becoming a respected mentor for many. She volunteered as chief gate judge at countless frigid ski races and was a founding board member to establish the Killington Mountain School. She remained a top competitor in her U.S. Alpine Masters age-group for decades, even into her 70s, and became a national champion.
With her unassuming nature she deflected her accomplishments as she focused on doing as much as she could for others, saying she was in it for “the challenge, the thrills, and the friendships.”
Witherell Hill remained an active member of the Rutland Garden Club for many years, sharing her love of flowers and gardening with her community. In yet another expression of her love of nature, she spent countless days with her husband Bob managing timber and firewood and wildlife habitat on their beloved Tree Farm in Middletown Springs.
Her love of travel and the outdoors was unstoppable, as evidenced by her years of camping, canoeing, windsurfing, hiking, horseback riding, biking, and skiing trips with family and friends. Having earned her pilot’s license and instrument rating in her late 30s, she flew a Cessna Skylane on countless crosscountry excursions with her husband, a former Air Force pilot.
Only health issues in her 80s could slow her down, as her adventurous spirit never faded.
Her family will always hold her dear as the beloved wife of Robert L. Hill; cherished mother to their sons, Robert and David Hill, and daughter Linda Harris; loving grandmother to Sarah Long, Molly West, Jeremy and Alison Hill; and proud great-grandmother to Lilly West.
Witherell Hill’s siblings shared her passion for competitive sports; she was predeceased by her brother Warren Witherell, and is survived by her siblings Fayette Witherell, DVM, and Charles Witherell. She leaves many loving nieces and nephews, extended family and lifelong friends who remember her kindness, good humor, and boundless energy.
A celebration of her life will be scheduled at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family would like to honor Wendy Witherell Hill’s generosity with contributions to Franciscan Children’s Rehabilitation Center,(franciscanchildrens.org).
