Dr. Ronald Charles Hill passed away on the evening of Sept. 4, 2023. It was his 75th birthday.
Dr. Hill was born in Parkersburg, and received his BA and MD degrees from West Virginia University in Morgantown. He was trained in general surgery, thoracic surgery, and cardiovascular surgery at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. He was Board Certified in all three specialties. He was on staff at Duke, WVU Medicine, Mon Health Medical Center (Morgantown) and the Charles George VA Medical Center (Asheville, N.C.).
He received many honors and awards during his 45 years of practice, including, but not limited to, Guide to America’s Top Surgeons, Best Doctors in America, Top Doctors by Business N.C., Who’s Who in eight categories, and The Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award.
Dr. Hill served on the executive boards of many prestigious surgical organizations, the American Heart Association, Mended Hearts Inc., various committees in the United Methodist Church, and Home Owners Associations in Fletcher and Holden Beach, N.C.
He was especially honored for being the chairman of the Institutional Review Board and for being the program director for the Department of Surgery at WVU. As a professor of surgery, he also served as the student coordinator and the director of surgical research for the WVU Medical Center. He trained medical students and surgical residents for his entire career.
Dr. Hill retired from the Charles George VA Medical Center in 2015. He had served as chief of cardiothoracic surgery and as a consulting professor of surgery for the Duke School of Medicine since 2007.
His pastimes included world travel, land and underwater photography, fishing and N.C. Shell Club activities.
Left to grieve his loss are his wife of 52 years, Lenora “Janie” Hill; Jeffrey (son), Diane, and Preston Hill; Mandy (daughter), Ted, Savannah, and Sadie Cook; and countless friends, associates, and coworkers across the continent.
A celebration of life and scattering of ashes will be held at Holden Beach, N.C., next summer.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the WVU School of Medicine at give.wvu.edu
