Joyce Graham Peterson Hill, 96, of Gainesville, Florida, peacefully passed away on September 19, 2024, surrounded by family, after a short stay in hospice care.

Joyce was born on August 5,1928 in Clinton, NC, to Walter Graham Peterson and Lena Adeline Matthis Peterson on the family farm near Taylor’s Bridge where she grew up. She attended Atlantic Christian College and was a member of the Sigma Phi Sorority. Upon graduation, she began teaching at Greenwood High School in Lemon Springs, NC in 1949.  Having played basketball in high school, she served as a coach for the girls’ basketball team and assisted with stage production plays, drawing from her love of music.  After the death of her father in 1951, she returned home to support her mother and manage the family farm.  She married Julian Jeter Hill on November 27, 1957, and they moved into the family farmhouse where they lived together for almost 22 years until his death on June 24,1979.  Joyce taught at Clinton High School until November 1959 when she took a leave of absence for motherhood.  She returned to work in February 1967 for the Sampson County Board of Education as a Home School Coordinator.  Later in 1970 she returned to the classroom, teaching at Halls Piney Grove Middle School until her retirement in 1986 with 33 years of service.

Joyce was a staunch member of Mt. Gilead Baptist Church in Clinton, NC until April 2018 when she moved to The Village in Gainesville, Florida.  At Mt. Gilead, Joyce played the piano for over 60 years and directed the church’s first choir.  She was faithful to God and her church and continued this devotion while in Florida.  It was a source of pride, joy and comfort throughout her life.

She felt strongly about serving and supporting her church and community with her time.  She was a member of the 4-H Club, Junior Women’s Club, Teachers Sorority, Clinton Garden Club, Farm Bureau Board, Sampson County History Museum Board, Sampson County Arts Council, Woodmen of the World, and was a Lifetime Member of the NCEA, to name a few.  

Joyce lived an active life playing sports in her youth, playing softball on her church team, and later in life joining the local senior women’s 3 on 3 basketball team, the Hoopers.  She played in the Senior Olympics with the Hoopers, winning many local and state championships and winning national gold medals in 2003 and 2007.  Joyce loved music as well. Beyond serving as her church pianist for over six decades, she played for family and friends often, and for herself almost daily into her later years. An accomplished pianist, she loved her hymns and gospel songs, but equally loved the jazz standards and show tunes of her youth and young adult years.

Joyce had an outgoing personality, and she loved people.  She could never have too many friends, and this trait remained with her throughout her life.  She was an adventurous soul who loved to travel throughout the U.S. and around the world.  She loved variety in all aspects of life and always wanted to try new things.  It was not uncommon for her to help herself to a sample of food on your plate if it looked good or sparked her curiosity!

Joyce was a loyal friend, coworker, teacher, musician, teammate, wife and mother.  She loved deeply and has left behind a legacy of great love and joy. She almost always began her prayers thanking God for “all thy many blessings,” and she lived a life that made it clear she did not take those blessings for granted. She lived life to the fullest like few people do, and she will be missed dearly.

Joyce was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and her three sisters and their husbands:  Lena Fern Peterson Williamson (Willis E. Williamson), Jewel Ivey Peterson Davis (Marion Algernon Davis) and Rachel Doris Peterson McKenzie (Welton Davis McKenzie), and nephew Graham Davis. Joyce is survived by her daughter Julianne Hill Best and son-in-law Gene Allen Best, Jr. of Fort Mill, SC, and their son Jared Allen Best and his wife Taylor Carter Rouse Best who are the parents of Joyce’s only great-grandchild, Aaron Allen Best, of Augusta, GA, and their daughter Alexandra Best, also of Augusta, GA; and her son Jerry Peterson Hill and daughter-in-law Deborah Ford Hill, and their sons Julian Ford Hill and Jhett Garner Hill, all of Gainesville, FL; and niece Judy Davis Edwards, of Fort Mill, SC.

In lieu of flowers you may consider a donation to her church, Mt. Gilead Baptist Church, 3949 Taylors Bridge Hwy, Clinton, NC 28328.

The family will conduct a memorial service at 3 PM, Sunday, September 29th at Mt. Gilead Baptist Church with Reverend Dr. Lynn Bullock officiating.  The family will receive friends immediately after the service in the church fellowship hall.