Rev. Dr. Barbara R. Hill

The Reverend Doctor Barbara Ryon Hill with her last earthly breath moved on to her next experience of life on Saturday, May 30, 2026. Barbara was born on May 17th, 1948, to Alan V. Ryon and Jeane B. Ryon. She attended Galion, Ohio, public schools where she was quite active in the theater program. She further attended Ohio University on a theater talent scholarship, was named to the Junior Women’s Honor Society Chimes, and listed in Who’s Who among University women. She completed her formal education with a PhD. In communication from the University of Southern California. Barbara taught interpersonal communication at New Mexico State Las Cruces for three years before returning to big city life in Denver, Colorado, where she joined the corporate world and became an executive at Citicorp Diners Club. She worked in training, marketing and employee communication. Later, she opened a communication consulting form working internationally with Forbes 500 firms and some not-for-profit organizations such as Outward Bound and Make A Wish Foundation. To wrap up her professional years, Barbara was ordained as a Unity Minister and served in Wisconsin.

In 2021 she was diagnosed with slow acting kidney disease and lived a full life until 2023 when muscular atrophy put her in a wheelchair. She and her husband Bob traveled between Cedarburg, Wisconsin and Cedar Key, Florida. There they owned a condo overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. At the time of her passing, she was in the company of her loving caretaker and husband Bob Holzrichter, her long-time best friend Karen Valencia and Charlie, the cutest dog on earth.

Barbara is further survived by her sister Betsy of northern Michigan. Barbara is preceded in death by her parents.

A pink dogwood tree will mark the place of her burial in Cedarburg. A celebration of life will be held for close friends and family. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the National Kidney Foundation are appreciated.