Philomena Hill Endowed Scholarship

If there were ever a servant’s heart, it was Philomena Hill’s. She entered life with little, but she made the most of everything she was given. Born in Ohio, she was orphaned at age 10 and worked for various families while going to school. After graduating from high school, she attended the Elliott School of Business Administration in Wheeling, West Virginia, where she later became employed.

Her husband, Russell S. Hill, Jr. passed away in 1975, and Philomena lived the next 27 years as a widow. But she was not one to sit still, as evidenced by the activities that gave her life meaning. She was a resident of Ventura County for over 50 years where she left her mark in many ways. She and Russell became members of Ascension Lutheran Church in 1949, and that association lasted until her death in 2002.

Philomena was a leader in the service of her church. She was a member of the committee that brought Pastor Gerhard Knutson to Ascension. She was chair of the board of trustees when Ascension obtained its building site on Hillcrest Avenue. She served as president of the Women’s Ministry at Ascension and was a leader of the Seniors Group. She taught Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, and she volunteered at the Lutheran Thrift Store for many years. Philomena loved people, her church and her Lord, and she was faithful to the very end.

One of Philomena’s last acts of generosity was to create the Philomena Hill Endowed Scholarship at CLU, funded by a gift of property she owned in Cathedral City. In establishing the scholarship’s criteria, she expressed the desire that it be awarded to a student who was hardworking and sincere about completing his/her education. It was not a hard-and-fast restriction, but she hoped they would also be Lutherans.