Henry Hill
Henry passed away peacefully at the age of 72, on November 1, 2012, with his wife, Peggy, at his side.
Henry was born on January 22, 1940 in Los Angeles, CA. He lived in Beverly Hills for the first 10 years of his life and then moved with his family to Newport Beach. Living near 13th Street in Newport Beach, Henry began his life long love of the water. As a boy he enjoyed sailing his Lehman Dinghy in the harbor, swimming for Newport Harbor High School, body surfing and eventually long board surfing.
After graduating from Newport Harbor High in 1957, it was only natural that Henry would proceed to UC Santa Barbara to continue his study of surfing. While at UCSB, he set a pool record in Freestyle and graduated with a degree in Economics. He continued on to earn his JD at Hastings College of Law, and then an LLM in Taxation at New York University in 1966. His legal career spanned 40 years mostly practicing Personal Injury Law in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Valley. Henry truly enjoyed practicing law and the camaraderie of his fellow attorneys.
After Law and Graduate School, Henry returned to San Francisco and met the love of his life, Peggy Dsenis. They married in a redwood grove on a ranch in Sebastopol in 1973 and lived in Tiburon for 30 years. The births of their daughters, Danielle and Nellie, quickly followed. Due to his wife’s request, after the birth of their daughters, Henry curtailed his offshore ocean racing and traded it for golf and this became a passion unlike any other. He loved the challenge of the sport, the never-ending possibility of improvement, the chance to tell jokes all day with his golf buddies, and playing courses near and far, including Augusta National. To say Henry was funny would be a gross understatement. He was loved by many for his ability to tell long, dramatic jokes in a wide variety of accents. Throughout much of his career he enjoyed riding the ferry from Tiburon to San Francisco, as it gave him the opportunity to have a Manhattan, swap jokes, talk about the law, the stock market, and Macintosh computers.
Upon retirement, Peggy and Henry lived in Sonoma for 5 years and also purchased a boat docked next to their daughter Nellie’s boat in Santa Barbara. Henry delighted in tinkering about the boat, taking it out to the Channel Islands, and of course, cocktailing on the Sun Deck. Even though Henry suffered a stroke in 2006 and subsequently was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, he and Peggy continued to enjoy the boat, all types of travel, visiting friends, and enjoying their 4 grandchildren. For the last 5 years they resided in Novato where Henry enjoyed warm afternoons at the pool.
Predeceased by his parents, Samuel and Florence Hill, his brother Samuel, and sister Helen, Henry is survived by his wife, sisters Marilyn Levy (Robert), and Susan McElhinney (Stuart), his sisters-in-law, Dorcas Manley (Mark), Christine Whalen (Bill Locker), cousin Barbara Hill, and many nieces and nephews. He will be missed by daughters Danielle Dabbah and Nellie Hill (Jon Payne), former son-in-law Dave Dabbah, and grandchildren, Madeline, Kelsey, Charlie and Julia.
For information about attending a celebration of his life, please email danidabbah@yahoo.com
Donations in Henry’s memory may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research or the collegiate golf team of your choice.
Arrangements under the direction of ADOBE CREEK FUNERAL HOME, 331 Lakeville St., Petaluma, CA 94952. Condolences may be made at adobecreekfuneralhome.com