Obituary of Gerald Hill

Surrounded by his loving family, Gerry Hill (Gerald Northcote Hill) of Fredericton died on October 8, 2025, after a period of hospitalization. He was a devoted husband, father, father-in-law and grandfather. He was a musician, a gifted writer, communicator, and an advocate. As usual, he wanted to help and support the people he loved most so he prepared the following text to summarize his remarkable life to make this easier on us.  He was so loved and never hesitated to express his heartfelt emotions. His legacy lives on through his family and through the impact he made with community organizations in Fredericton over the past 40+ years.

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"Gerry Hill (Gerald Northcote Hill) has passed away peacefully in Fredericton.Gerry didn’t have a lot to say at the time, unlike the last half-century or so, when few could ever get him to shut up!

Gerry is survived by a number of exceptional people, beginning with Judith Gail Hill, his extraordinary wife and ‘managing partner’ for some 57 amazing years. Judy and Gerry met at the Mont Habitant Ski Resort in Saint-Sauveur, Quebec (Laurentian Mountains) during the 1962/63 ski season. His equally wonderful children, Jeanetta, Kevin, and Susanne, as well as Jeanetta and Kevin’s superb spouses, Stephen Cole and Jennifer (Rubak) Hill, have long been the builders and protectors of Gerry and Judy’s world. The future of this remarkable team is now being gradually passed to the multi-talented hands of four astounding grandchildren, Bridget Cole, Marisa Cole, Erik Hill and Adam Hill. A resonant force within the entire crew also shines a brilliant constant light, Susanne Claire Hill is, quite simply, the heart and soul of the family. An ‘Angel among us’, she is a ‘Gift from God’ in every possible respect. 

Gerry Hill played a multitude of roles in life from the early 1940’s to the mid- 1970’s, when Fredericton came into view. He was the much-loved only child of Miles Hill from Regina, SK and Frances (Yorston) Hill of Campbellton, NB. They ultimately settled in Montreal, where he was born in 1942.

Raised in an ultra-supportive and caring home, ‘Gerald’ began his working life early, as a newspaper boy and golf caddy. Over the next two decades, he spent considerable quality time as a lifeguard, bartender, sheet metal worker, musician, commercial radio announcer, nightclub performer with his band the Newlanders, and a P.R. man. He was also a competitive paddler at the Cartierville Boating Club.

A McGill graduate, he began his formal career in the Entertainment Branch of the Expo ’67 World’s Fair. Shortly after its final production went dark, Gerry and Judy married on January 20, 1968 and moved to Europe the next day.

Extensive continental travels ensued, with Gerry ultimately joining the staff of EMI Ltd. in London, England. First in pop music advertising and later tasked with signing new recording artists to smooth, shiny, world-wide, iron- clad, multi-year contracts. Eventually returning to Canada, Gerry became the public spokesperson for an Ontario health research foundation at the University of Toronto.

By this juncture in 1971, ‘The Hills’ had become nervous first-time parents. But after five years in Toronto, they were more than happy to pick up, pack up, and roll out for Fredericton in 1976. Where 5-year-old Jeanetta and 2- year-old Kevin were safely stowed with the luggage in the back somewhere. Sweet Susanne joined the crew in 1978. Fredericton remained their home base for the next 50 years.

When asked what his profession was in later years, Gerry often answered ‘writer.’

There’s certainly no doubt he derived enormous satisfaction sitting at the keyboard and wondering what the perfect word or phrase would be to make a particular point or prompt a chuckle. As you’ve probably deduced by now, he’s still doing that at this very moment. 

From ‘76 to ’98, he served as the public face and voice of the provincial Department of Environment and, in due course, the department’s Director of Policy and Communications. During this time, he became a recognized expert in saying much ado about not much at all … but always sounding really cool.

Soon after his formal retirement, Gerry and Judy jointly unveiled ‘The Northcote Group Ltd’ – a consultancy focused on environmental communications and public consultation. This venture went on to serve a wildly diverse set of clients over 17 years. Gerry’s first exposure to public relations (at age 17) was as a summer student in a Montreal-based multi-national insurance firm. He wrote his first ever text for public release there. His final project at the Northcote Group came 55 years later and covered New Brunswick archeological research.

Throughout his career, it can be conservatively estimated that Gerry Hill wrote between 300 to 400 million words for publication. A good percentage of them were accurate, readable and not overly boring, unlike today’s unctuous blather foisted on the public by increasingly formulaic and grammatically-challenged, AI inspired ‘Communicators.’ He was an original spin doctor in every sense of the term.

As noted earlier, Gerald Northcote Hill has been the sole author of this extraordinarily entertaining text. This certainly won’t come as a shock … since the ink-stained old geezer always liked having the last word!"

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Gerry showed his love for his family everyday through his creative side, through his writing, as a highly capable chef, through music, also by fostering a deep appreciation and passion for the performing arts. He was a feminist and knew the world would be a better place if more women could be supported to leadership positions. He was an advocate for inclusion, the environment and for bilingualism. He loved the pristine land at Gut Pond in Eden Vermont, and any mountain range or ski hill and downhill skied for over 65 years. He lit up a room when he walked in and loved making people laugh. He will be missed everyday. He is also survived by his loving sisters-in-law, Maureen (Walter) Hirsch and Kathleen Kenny; as well as several precious long-time friends from the ‘early days.’

A celebration of life is scheduled for Monday, October 13^th, 2025 at 3:00 pm at McAdam’s Funeral Home.

The family would like to express our sincere thanks and gratitude to all the staff of DECH 3SW and for everyone who has supported us these recent weeks. We are so lucky to live in beautiful Fredericton. 

In lieu of flowers, donations in Gerry’s honour can be made to Opal Family Services Inc., an important community organization that supports and coordinates enrichment activities and respite for families who care for loved ones with a disability, or another charity of their choosing.