Kevin A. Hill
April 16, 1966 - May 29, 2017

"Kevin and I were best of friends for 10 critical years of my growing up and he changed my life. When he was about to get married he called me in Nebraska and said he wanted me to be one of his first close friends to learn of his wedding. I was so happy for him. One of the hardest things in life for sure is losing someone you cared about that brought so many blessings to your life. Oh how I wish I could bring him back to enjoy watching his precious daughter grow up, to bring smiles and laughter and fun to his mom's life and to us his friends life. Kevin and I both had rotary scholarships to Zimbabwe in 1989 and we both studied political science, we did internships during some of the same semesters and I visited him when he went back to Zimbabwe and he visited me when I was working for the ford foundation in Zimbabwe and we both wrote our dissertations for PhD's on Zimbabwean topics. He and I met on a study abroad trip to the Holy Land, Greece and Kenya. We both studied political science in grad school at the same time from 1988-1993 at the university of Florida. Also, we were close friends while undergraduates at Furman University and we started the political science club for students together. We were Dana fellowship teaching and research assistants together and collaborated on academic research together. When he first got job at FIU, I visited him in Miami area to celebrate his accomplishment and I remember a fun trip we did together snorkelling in the Florida keys. We took a trip together to Malawi in Africa and when he contracted malaria I rushed him to the best care emergency care I could find to get him treatment and I cared for him and prayed for him to help him recover. God fortunately healed him then but it was scary to watch him so sick across the globe years ago. To learn of his passing has been a real punch in the gut and extremely sad feeling to know his precious daughter and his loving mom and his dear friends won't any longer on this side of eternity get to enjoy his wonderful self and for that huge loss I am really grieving over this unexpected and enormous loss. Since I can't bring him back even though so many of us want to is hard just so hard. In our younger years we had nicknames for each other that made us smile and I am forever grateful to God for giving me and others him as a friend. I will do my best to remember his love for us his friends, celebrate his life and share this journey with all we love:) on this side of eternity I don't think I will ever understand why him or others I have loved had to leave us and leave us with such immense loss but I do know that God is love and will comfort us through this and I do know that his legacy of love, laughs and living life to its fullest will live on through us that loved him. Kevin will always be an important contributor to the beauty and friendship in my life. I miss him. Cherish your family and friends while you still have them. Shockingly Kevin just died in his sleep and was gone too soon for us his friends. Praying for his family! Blessings Mary Spear Prentice "

"Alice and Olivia, My wife, Jo, and I were so sorry to hear about Kevin's death. May God comfort you both. Jerry Mewbourn"

"I was so shocked & sorry to hear this when a maternal cousin emailed me Sat. Then I read it in the Index. My father also died at age 51. "

"Kindness, intelligence, a great love for his daughter Olivia and mother Alice are what come to mind when I think of Kevin Hill. Kevin will be very missed by so many family, friends and students. My heart goes out to his mom Alice and daughter Olivia. God Bless. Love and prayers, Audrey Flick"