
Terry P Hill
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Terry P. Hill of Johnsonville passed away on Sunday, December 8, 2024 with family at her bedside at Samaritan Hospital in Troy. She was 68. Born in New Haven, Connecticut on June 2, 1956, daughter of Michael and Theresa (Benevento) Papelo. Terry worked for the State of Vermont as a social worker for the department of Economic Services for most of her career and previous to that for Intelligent Business Systems and the Hobart Company while living in Connecticut. Terry began attending college in Connecticut at UNH and Quinnipiac College and ultimately graduated with a bachelors degree in Human Services from Southern Vermont College. She believed that education was something that could never be taken away from you and thus continued her education through post graduate coursework from Empire State College and completed extensive training and a supervisory certificate program from the State of Vermont. Survivors include her spouse of 37 years, Laura M. Hill of Johnsonville, their children, Mark Hill and Elizabeth (Scott) Myers, her brother John (Cynthia) Papelo, nieces and nephews Michael Papelo, Amy Papelo, Laura White Rivers, Daniel White, Bethany (Seamus) Lynch and Andrea (Greg Popp) Hill. Also survived by her sister-in-law Susan Hill and brother-in-law Bruce Neddo. Terry is also survived by lifelong close family friends Henry and Kathleen Cusano and their children Nicholas and Antonio. Terry also is survived by several great nieces and nephews, Katlyn, Juliana, Michael, Maya, Shelby, Rory, Ada, Evelyn and one great great niece, Skylar. Terry loved her family immensely first and foremost and animals, particularly cats, second. She was tremendously attached to all "her people" over the years in the cat and dog world. She loved coffee and Italian pastries, reminiscing about the family trip to Italy, sitting on the beach, watching the deer and wild birds in the yard in the early morning and a warm breeze on a spring day. She loved all kinds of music, followed current events and politics avidly and believed in promoting human rights and respect for everyone. Terry never met a good tv murder mystery or forensic show she didn't like. She tortured all of us regularly with her love of the daily crossword because although she almost always knew the answers she could never spell worth a damn. Terry had the strength and fortitude to move mountains with her larger than life personality and believed in the power of humor and laughter even in life's most difficult times. She was diagnosed in 1992 with Sarcoidosis, a relatively uncommon disease that usually affects the lungs and then resolves over time. In some cases it becomes systemic in the body and can affect other organ systems. Terry's particular sarcoid was extremely rare and affected her muscles in a long degenerative trajectory over the next 30 plus years. It was her tremendous power of positive thinking and endless humor that kept her with us all these years beyond what was medically expected. Although its exact cause is unknown, Sarcoid is known to occur in clusters of "sick buildings" and or certain exposures in some industrial settings. When several other cases of sarcoid, some also systemically severe, were discovered in employees of the Bennington State Office building Terry became a fierce advocate for awareness and action in forensic analysis of the building, medical support and testing for employees and ultimately the destruction of the building and erection of a new state office building. With the strong support of the Vermont State Employee Association, other Bennington State employees and her family Terry wrote numerous letters, phone calls and provided testimony to the state legislature to help ultimately remediate this hazardous situation. A calling and memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 4, 2025 at 3:30pm at the Valley Falls United Methodist Church, 16 State St., Valley Falls. Visiting will be in the church from 1pm - 3:00pm with a memorial service at 3:30pm. In lieu of flowers kindly consider a donation to the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, 3 Oakland Ave., Menands, NY 12204 (or a no kill shelter of your choice) or the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research, 320 W Ohio St # 300, Chicago, IL 60654 in memory of Terry Hill. Online remembrances may be made at www.chasesmithfamily.com

