Tynette Wilson Hills

Entered into Eternal Rest on November 2, 2025

Dr. Tynette Wilson Hills

Dr. Tynette Wilson Hills, 99, died peacefully the morning of Sunday, November 2, 2025, at her residence at The Forest at Duke, Durham, NC.

Ms. Hills was born in Chillicothe, TX to the late Homer and Monette Brooks Wilson. She and her two siblings grew up in Amarillo, TX, where she and her family were very active members of the Polk Street United Methodist Church. Ms. Hills moved to CA to pursue her undergraduate degree in Religious Studies at University of Southern California on a Methodist scholarship. There she met her husband, James L. Hills, studying under the post WWII G.I. Bill. They wed July 17, 1948. As a newlywed, Ms. Hills co-authored the book Questions that Matter Most: Asked by the World’s Religions, with her mentor, Floyd H. Ross.

After their first child was born, they purchased their first home in the San Francisco area. She balanced raising her young family and teaching at Millbrae Nursery Preschool, a nonprofit cooperative preschool founded in 1938 to support young children and their families.

In 1972, after moving East, she attained a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Rochester, and subsequently a Doctorate in Education from Rutgers University. Her professional career focused on supporting the educational needs of young children. She taught at Middlesex Community College of NJ and went on to become a program specialist focusing on policy and program planning in Early Childhood Education for the State of NJ Department of Education. She was an active member of the National Association for Education Young Children (NAEYC) and served as President of the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists for the NJ State Department of Education, where she contributed to several professional publications and book chapters.

After retiring from the NJ State Department of Education, Ms. Hills and her late husband retired to Durham, NC to be closer to family and grandchildren. She worked as a consultant and provided lectures on educational practices for several professional organizations and conferences until her final “retirement” at the age of 77. She and her husband participated in Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). In 1996 she joined the Pilgrim United Church of Christ, where she later served as moderator and deacon. Following the loss of her husband, in 2001, she moved to The Forest at Duke (TFAD), where she lived for more than 20 years. She continued to volunteer as an active community member, and served as President of the Resident Association, helping to secure accreditation for TFAD by CARF International in 2007.

Ms. Hills is survived by her daughters Catherine Convy Harrison (recent widow to Dean H. Harrison ) of Murietta, CA; Lauren Hills Surace and husband, Richard of Sneads Ferry; NC; Jennifer Hills Epstein and husband, Larry of Hingham, MA; and many grandchildren and great grandchildren including: Erin Fidler and husband, Joseph (children: Avery, Jack, Owen) of Greenville, SC; James Beyer Byrch and wife, Laura of Todd, NC; Bryson Beyer of Vilas, NC; Jordan Epstein of Hull, MA; Zoe Epstein of Hingham, MA; Quentin Surace and wife, Anna Raye of Claremont, NC; Dylan Surace and fiancé, McKenzie Grainger, (son: Emrys Surace) of Granite Falls, NC; Warren Surace and fiancé, Nora McLean of Melbourne, FL; and Darren Surace of Iron Station, NC.

She is predeceased by her husband, James Lafayette Hills; daughter, Heidi Lynne Hills; brother, Brooks Wilson; sister, Marjorie Haynie, brother-in-law, Hal Haynie; nephew, Brooks Haynie, and son-in-law Dean H. Harrison.

Her children and grandchildren lovingly remember her wisdom, strength, wonderful sense of humor, unceasing interest and pride in them, and her enduring love. She delighted in watching her grandchildren and great grandchildren play, learn, and grow across the years. She will also be remembered for her poetry, love of gardening and nature, and her dedication to volunteer opportunities in her community following her retirement.

A Celebration of Life will be held on February 7, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., Pilgrim United Church of Christ, 3011 Academy Drive, Durham, NC 27705 with the Reverends Melinda Keenan Wood and Nancy Ruth Best officiating. Following the celebration of life, the family will receive guests in the church fellowship hall. Private inurnment, for family, will take place later in the day, in the church columbarium, where she will be rejoined in perpetuity with her beloved Jim.

In lieu of flowers, her family requests that donations be made to:

Housing for New Hope

18 W. Colony Place, Suite 250

Durham, NC 27705

https://www.Housingfornewhope.org

or

Pilgrim United Church of Christ

3011 Academy Drive, Durham, NC 27705

https://www.pilgrimucc-durham.org