Mirriam Gail Hill, 95
On Aug. 24, 2022, Mirriam Gail Hill was welcomed into heaven at the age of 95. Mirriam was born Dec. 28, 1926, in Los Angeles, Calif., the only child of Ruby Inez (Kissinger) Russell and John Darty Russell. She lived in Long Beach, Calif., until she lost her father when she was 9 years old. Her mother, a nurse, was now a single parent and so to provide for them, a life of moving from place to place began.
Mirriam lived with several families until the age of 17, when she met and married her husband, Del Hill. Del worked for an oil exploration company, which meant they would move to many different places. Del and Mirriam had two daughters and, when they became school age, they settled in Coeur d’Alene, where they opened the Coeur d’Alene Laundromat. Here they made their home, raised their children and made many lasting friendships. Mirriam finally had the home she longed for. She became involved in several organizations, one of which was Campfire Girls. She took on a Blue Bird group and she loved those young girls and poured herself into their lives. She always remembered them and talked about them often.
Mirriam was a gifted artist and painted many beautiful pictures throughout her life. She also had a great imagination and invented many stories for the pleasure of her girls. She had a love of music and played the violin when she was in school. This creativity she passed on to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren in many various forms.
When Mirriam was 15 years old, she gave her heart to Jesus. In her 30s, she had a profound experience with her Savior and, from then on, she loved Him and served Him faithfully. She was asked to be president of the Coeur d’Alene Christian Women’s Club, which she humbly accepted and served for two years.
Del went back to work for the survey company and again they were on the move. It was hard for Mirriam to leave home, friends and the town she loved, but she saw many new and exciting places and made many new friends. Many of these also knew and loved Jesus and with some she got to share His love for them.
Thirty-two years ago, just before Del passed away, they moved back to the Coeur d’Alene area Mirriam loved so much. She built a home where all felt loved and welcomed. She loved Jesus with all her heart and spent many hours praying for others so they would also know Him and His Love for them. In her lifetime, she had moved 74 different times, now at last she is where she longed to be, with her Lord and Savior, where she will live for all eternity.
She was preceded in death by her father, mother and her husband. She is survived by her daughters, Dianne (Larry) Stark and Mary (Henry) Herrera; grandchildren: Jenn (Clay) Appleby, Idrianna (Aaron) Shewmaker-Herrera, Salina Herrera-Spyres, Rob (Jenny) Stark, John (Delia) Herrera; great-grandchildren: Inoa Spyres, Kirsti Appleby, Zoey (John) Galloway, Nolan Stark, Ezra Shewmaker-Herrera, Kiefer Stark, Alexander Shewmaker-Herrera, David Herrera and John Carlos Herrera; and great-great-grandchildren, Avery, Everlee and Emersyn Galloway.
The family wishes to express their sincere appreciation to those who tenderly cared for Mirriam: Hospice of North Idaho, Honeysuckle Senior Living, and Yates Funeral Home.
A service was held Aug. 30, 2022. Mirriam is laid to rest at Riverview Cemetery.
Please visit Mirriam’s online memorial and sign the guestbook at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.
