Grace Berniece Hill, age 95, a former resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, and more recently of Olathe, Kansas, passed away Wednesday, December 9, 2020, at the Evergreen Community of Johnson County in Olathe. She was born on February 14, 1925, in Oakley, Iowa, the daughter of Leonard Pottorff and Dollie Marker Pottorff. She first married Eugene Coombsthey had five children and later divorced. Grace then married William J. Hawkins on July 2, 1955, and three more children were added to the family.
Bill preceded her in death on April 17, 1992. She later married Gerald Ray on November 7, 1993. They were married for five years until his death on December 29, 1998. On June 1, 2001, she married Willis William “Bill” Hill and he too preceded her in death. Grace worked for a time in housekeeping at Mercy Hospital, but her main priority was taking care of her family. Grace was a devoted wife and a loving mother to her eight children.
Survivors include five children, Larry Coombs(Sherry), of Batesville, Arkansas, Penelope Sue Reasoner(Randy) of Ft. Scott, Kansas, Paul Hawkins(Connie) of Carterville, Missouri, Hugh Leonard “Leo” Hawkins(Brenda), of Kearney, Missouri and Mike Hawkins(Wanda), of Kansas City, Missouri, and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. Also surviving is a sister, Bertha Tobey, of California. In addition to her husband, Grace was preceded in death by a daughter, Carol Hull, two sons, Jerry Coombs and Gary Coombs, two brothers, Calvin Pottorff and Olan “Shorty” Pottorff, and three sisters, Vera Ogren, Dorothy Hovey, and Iva Bley.
Funeral services will be held at 12:30 P.M. Wednesday, December 16th at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Burial will follow in the U. S. National Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Bill Hawkins, Mike Smith, Kincaid Hurst, Isaac Hurst, Jerry Coombs, Jr., and Dawson Russell. The family will receive friends from5 to 7 P.M. Tuesday evening at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Memorials are suggested to the Evergreen
Community Hospice and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
