Martha Rae Peacock Hill, 61, of Tifton passed away Wednesday, November 12, 2003, at her home after a courageous battle with breast cancer. Her funeral service was held at 4:00 p.m. Monday, November 17, 2003, in the Sanctuary of Tifton's First Baptist Church with the Rev. Dr. Wayne Roe officiating. Mrs. Hill was laid to rest at Oak Ridge Cemetery.
Ray Cross, harry Bowen, Terry Norburg, O'Neal Bozeman, Carl Duncan, Dan Topping, Gary Vowell and Larry Bussey served as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers were Ken Murphy, Jack Smith, Ken Smith, Harold Abbott, Emory McMillan, Sarge Dorsey, Mike Brumby, Jimmy Taylor, Charlie Majeski and Roy McWilliams.
Born March 9, 1942, in Ashburn, Martha Rae was the first child of the late Charlie Leon Peacock and Lura Gussie Bridges Peacock. She graduated from Turner County schools and received her BA in English from LaGrange College. She completed her graduate degree at Valdosta State University.
She retired in 1997 from Tift County High School, where she served as chairman of the English department for 18 years. She was honored as Teacher of the Year for Tift County High School and received an Excellence in Teaching award from the Tift Cunty Foundation for Educational Excellence.
Martha Rae was an avid reader and a gifted cook. she devoted her life to being a wife, mother and grandmother.
Martha Rae is survived by her husband, Norman "Red" Hill. Their love and devotion to each other was evident to all who knew them. She is also survived by their son and daughter-in-law, Skip and Nikki Hill of Tifton; two grandchildren, Jordan Grace Hill and Jacob Slaton Hill, all of Tifton; one sister and brother-in-law, Julia Laura and Richard Rose of Tifton; a niece, Laura Lee Rose of Savannah; a nephew and his wife, Richard Robyn and Karen Rose of Dublin; and a great-nephew, Richrd Tucker Rose of Dublin.
Memorial gifts may be made to Hospice of Tift Area, 618 Central Avenue North, Tifton, Ga 31794 or the Martha Rae Hill Memorial Fund at the Tift Regional Medical Center Foundation, P. O. Box 747, Tifton, GA 31793.