Craig Hill

Robert Craig Hill, 71, of Beaumont, died Friday, September 20, 2024, surrounded by his children and wife of 48 years. Craig was born on April 16, 1953, in Beaumont, Texas at St. Therese Hospital, to Underwood and Christine Miles. He attended French High and graduated from Lamar University in 1971.

Craig and his sisters enjoyed a humble upbringing on Trinidad Street in Beaumont in the 1950s. His parents afforded him the freedom to explore the neighborhood and surrounding piney woods adjacent to the Neches River. Craig remembered their family beach cabin at Crystal Beach on Bolivar Peninsula growing up.

In 1971, Craig and Janie met on a blind date. After five years of dating, they were married on July 24, 1976. In 1984 and 1985, they welcomed two children, Cody and Kate. Craig was an amazing father, committing time and resources, and wholeheartedly investing in his children’s lives.

He began a career in banking in the early 1970s while still at Lamar University pursing a degree in marketing, serving in several key leadership roles. He later left banking and entered the fueling business. Craig served as President of Steinhagen Oil Company from 1991 until his retirement in 2018. During his tenure, he was honored to be elected President of both the regional and national Shell Fuel Wholesale Councils.

Craig truly enjoyed sharing his gift for cooking. He could often be found in the kitchen, concocting some delicious sauces for seafood, poultry, and other sumptuous dinners. He and Janie made prayer at dinnertime a focal point of each evening. They enjoyed being all-weather fans for the Houston Astros.

Craig’s father, Underwood, was an avid outdoorsman, and he passed these interests down with vigor to him. The Hill family has always loved dogs, particularly labradors and vizslas, who were considered members of the family. Undoubtedly, Craig’s primary hobbies were hunting and fishing. His constant checklists and thorough organizational style kept him prepared for all he would encounter in the field, stream, or ocean.

Craig would recall fond memories of long walks hunting in the Big Thicket woods of East Texas. He loved the marsh, and duck hunting remained a highly prized activity in his life. Craig and his many lifelong hunting and fishing “buddies” used to joke about the root cause of his eccentricities being lead poisoning. Early in life, he had a propensity for carrying lead-shot cartridges, pellets, and bullets in his mouth for ease of loading.

He fished for freshwater species in the backwaters and sloughs of the Neches River. He was most passionate, though, about saltwater fishing in his Boston Whalers, especially in Sabine Lake and the “jetties” area in between Texas and Louisiana. Later, he enjoyed fly fishing in Alaska, offshore in the Pacific in Canada, and offshore in Latin America.

In June of 2023, Craig’s diagnosis of pancreatic cancer came as a great challenge to him and his family. However, he committed to surviving as long as possible despite the arduous nature of treatment. Janie rose to the occasion as primary care giver and helped him to realize this goal. Another blessing was getting to spend Christmas of 2023 with his daughter Kate’s family in Peninsula, Ohio, as is their annual tradition.

Craig is survived by his wife, Janie; sister, Pat Russell (Mark) of Pecan Grove, Texas; sister, Julie O’Donnell (Gary) of Palestine, Texas; his two children, Cody Hill (Lauren) of Beaumont; and Kate Price (Dylan) of Peninsula, Ohio; grandchildren, Ethan, Wesley, Calvin, and Maxwell Price, Benjamin and Adelaide Hill; brother-in-law, Bob Moore of League City, Texas; brother-in-law, Dod Moore (Bonnie) of McGregor, Texas; and brother-in-law, David Moore (Patricia) of Beaumont; and sister-in-law, Sally Matthews (Todd) of College Station, Texas; as well, numerous nieces and nephews and their families.

He was preceded in death by his parents; nephew, Douglas Moore; nephew-in-law,Kyle Ray; and sister-in-law, Nansi Moore.

The family would like to express their gratitude to the medical professionals at Texas Oncology, specifically Dr. Vipal Durkal; those at Houston Methodist, Drs. Thomas McCarty III, Roy Emanuel II, Nestor F. Esnaola, William Goins II, and Matt Khoshnevis; and at NYU Langone, Drs. Christopher Wolfgang and Brock Hewitt.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions for Mr. Hill may be made to The Hill Family Scholarship at the All Saints Episcopal School Foundation, 4108 Delaware Street, Beaumont, Texas 77706.

A gathering of Mr. Hill’s family and friends will begin at 11:30 a.m., in Broce Hall – the fellowship hall of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church – with the memorial service to follow at 12:30 p.m., in the Chapel, Friday, September 27, 2024, located at 4090 Delaware Street, Beaumont, under the direction of Broussard’s, 2000 McFaddin Avenue, Beaumont.