Ethro Dail Hill, age 92, of Pink Hill died peacefully at Lenoir Memorial Hospital on Sunday, May 29, 2016.Mr. Hill was born on November 30, 1923 in Deep Run, N.C., the oldest child of Kirby Dail Hill and Vada Tyndall Hill, he was born in the house he grew up in. With the exception of World War II and college, Ethro spent his entire life in Lenoir County. He helped to shape the twentieth century character of his county and community through his years of service. The Governor of North Carolina presented Mr. Hill with one of the highest awards in the state "The Order of the Long Leaf Pine" award in August 2013. His wife Marie Thornton Hill who he married in 1950 has been his loyal companion and sweetheart for 65 years. Ethro's three sons and three grandsons and one granddaughter survive him. Sons: Jeffrey Dail Hill and wife Neal of Greensboro, Tony Thornton Hill and wife Kim of Deep Run, and Johnny Cecil Hill and wife Cindy of Clayton, N.C. Grandsons: Nathan, Jason, and Eli Hill. Granddaughter: Emma Marie Hill. He is survived by his sister Martha Hill Smith of Kinston and his sister-in-law Hazel Williams Hill of Nashville, NC. He was predeceased by his sister Eloise Hill Turner and her husband Dallas Turner, his brothers Leo Hill and Kenneth Hill, and his brother-in-law Eugene "Gene" Smith. During World War II he was a United States Armed Guard Gunner on the Richard Jordan Gatling Liberty Ship in the European Theatre of Operation. Liberty ships delivered supplies and men to Europe and brought prisoners and soldiers back to America. Ethro was a graduate of Pink Hill High School and a scholar at Louisburg College. For seven years he was a veteran's instructor for World War II veterans in the Agriculture Department of Pink Hill School. A plaque placed on the USS North Carolina battleship honors Mr. Hill's years of service in the United States Navy during the war. Mr. Hill was Mayor of Pink Hill for ten years from 1958-1968. As Mayor he was the catalyst for securing a sewer system for Pink Hill. He was co-owner of Pink Hill Supply from 1954 -1964. For thirty-five years he was Treasurer of the Pink Hill Ruritan Club. Ethro was a Nationwide Agent for 32 years and a Magistrate for the State of North Carolina for 28 years. He was a Mason and a Shriner. He was a charter member of both the Willard Smith Post of the VFW and the Pink Hill Ruritan Club. Mr. Hill was a member of the American Legion and a member for life of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He was also on the first Board of Mental Health for Lenoir County. As a member of the Pink Hill United Methodist Church, he served on the Finance Committee and Pastor Parrish Relations Committee. He was a member of the Board of Trustees.Mr. Hill loved to convey his passion for and love of his native hometown. His dry wit was always laced with thoughts of the place and people he loved so dearly. He would say: "I'm Ethro Hill from Pink Hill, always worked and always will." No one could forget him, his philosophy, or his hometown after that. Ethro Hill was exceedingly proud of the farm which he and his sons own. It is part of the original Nathan Hill Farm on Nathan Hill Road, Deep Run, Lenoir County, NC which has been in the Hill Family since 1844. When asked by a reporter from the Free Press in 2013, "What accomplishment are you most proud of?" Ethro's honest heartfelt reply: "Marrying my wife Marie." The story of their constant love has been chronicled in a short story by Marie's sister Jean Thornton Johnson and titled by her brother Wendell Thornton as 'The Greatest Love Story Never Told.'The family will receive friends at Pink Hill United Methodist Church in Pink Hill from 12 Noon until 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 2, 2016. Funeral service will be held at 1:00 p.m., Thursday, June 2, at Pink Hill United Methodist Church. Burial will follow in the Pinelawn Memorial Park, Kinston, N.C. A special thanks to caregivers, Michelle Bennett, Renee Pope and Delores Summerlin. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Pink Hill United Methodist Church, 102 West Walnut Street, Pink Hill, N.C. 28572; The Masonic Home for Children at Oxford, 600 College Street, Oxford, NC 27565; or Shriners Hospital, 2900 Rock Point Drive, Tampa, FL, 33607. Online condolences may be sent to www.pinkhillfuneralhome.com