Patricia "Pat" Hill

Patricia (Pat) Banville Robertson Hill died at home in Ottawa on July 27, 2022.

Pat is survived by her loving daughters Laura Hill and Barbara Hill, and her granddaughter Jenna Hill-Murphy.

Pat was born in West Middlesex Hospital, London, England on July 2, 1937.  Her birth mother Mary Banville was domestic servant at the Belgian Embassy.  Pat lived in an orphanage in London until she was adopted by Meg and Bill Robertson of Glasgow, Scotland in 1939.  This was at the start of World War II and her parents bought a house in the village of Eaglesham, 10 miles south of Glasgow.  The city was a major ship building centre and was the target of bombing.  Pat and her parents spent many nights in an air raid shelter while the Royal Air Force Base in the city was continuously bombed by the Luftwaffe.

Following the end of the war in 1945, Pat attended Notre Dame Convent girls’ high school in Glasgow, before working in the insurance industry.  In 1959 Pat emigrated to Lethbridge, Alberta where she married Richard Hill, a fellow Scot.  They had two children, Laura Hill and Barbara Hill.

Pat had a varied career, including in various aspects of the insurance industry.  She worked for the federal government in a variety of challenging positions in the national pension system until retirement.

Pat was a strong feminist: in the early 1970s she was one of the women who opened and ran the first Women’s Centre in Kingston, Ontario.  She came out as a lesbian-feminist and mentored many younger gay women in the community.

In 1978, following a Womens' March in Toronto, Pat met her life partner Prudence Craib and they became a family with Pat’s daughters and Prue’s son.  Pat and Prue were legally married in Ottawa in 2014 following the passage of federal same-sex marriage legislation.  They shared a love of family, travel, books, cars, and Provincetown Cape Cod.  Pat and Prue were the oldest women and the most enduring couple in their lesbian community.  Prue died in 2016 following a wonderful 38-year relationship.

Pat was a strong supporter of Dying with Dignity, and chose to have a medically assisted death at home surrounded by family and friends.

In accordance with Pat’s wishes, she was cremated at a funeral home in Ottawa, and there will be no memorial service.