Loretta Gillespie
The only thing the Energizer Bunny has on Lorene Hill is that pretty fur and those floppy ears. At the age of 78 she outruns him every day and always has.
Hill enjoys running errands. So much so that she has a regular crew of friends and neighbors that she takes to the hairdresser, grocery store, for doctor’s visits, does their washing and whatever else needs to be done.
“There’s just no need in sitting around when somebody needs help,” said Hill.
At one point she moved to Florida to care for her son, Wayne, who was suffering with cancer. She lived there in Ocala for a year, driving her son to Gainesville four days a week for treatments. After he lost his battle with the disease, she packed up and moved back to Alabama, again electing to help care for her friends and neighbors.
Her sparkling eyes and quick wit make it easy to understand why others rely on her so much.
“I stayed with three elderly sisters for ten years when I lived in Athens, I did all their driving for them,” said Hill. Before moving from Athens to Cullman she also sat with other shut-ins, and ran errands for people.
Since 2005, when she moved here, Hill has been an active Senior Companion with the local Community Action group, where she spends four hours a day, five days per week sitting with women who have become her friends, Kittie Young and Bernice Tucker.
She does the same errands for them that she’s always done for others who needed her.
“Miss Lorene is just the most wonderful friend and neighbor anyone could have, when I saw how thoughtful and kind she was to others around her, I called Community Action Director, Margaret Wiley, and told her about Miss Lorene, and later I introduced them,” said Delores Griffin, manager of Veigl Village Apartments.
A native of the Holly Pond community, Hill now resides at Veigl Village, where she continues her mission in life, giving help and support to those around her who are less fortunate or less active than herself.
She visits the other residents there daily, and even takes them their mail so they don’t have to get out. In addition she lends them her copy of The Cullman Times when she is finished with it.
She cooks for friends, neighbors and family, often inviting them over for breakfast.
“She picks flowers and makes arrangements for the other residents here, and waters the roses and other plants and shrubs around the office,” said Griffin.
In addition to all the errands and cooking she does, Hill also finds time to sew for family and friends. “I sew some for my friends Betty, and Flora, and also my sister, Barb, and I do some quilting,” said Hill.
The group at Veigl Village often gathers in the large community room, bringing covered dishes and enjoying each others company, in fact, on July 18, they held a party there to honor Hill for all she does for her fellow residents.
Her daughter, Jeanette Gunn, along with Griffin and LaDonna Hill, decorated the room and prepared delicious party fare, including fruit, cake, punch, and finger foods, for 20 guests, who came to thank Hill for her faithful devotion to them.
Griffin presented Hill with an,“ Everyday Hero Award,” plaque for her commitment to her neighbors. Mayor Max Townson and Margaret Wiley made speeches in her honor.
“There are so many good people here,” said Hill, appreciatively. “I’m really happy here, and just wouldn’t be satisfied anywhere else.”
Jeanette says her mother never meets a stranger.
“Mother would rather be helping someone than anything else, she drops everything when she knows someone needs her.”
Helping others in need must be a family trait. Her grandsons, Brad Hill and Adam Gunn are in the medical field, Brad is a Registered Nurse, and Adam is an ultrasound technician, both of them are dedicated to their professions, just as their grandmother is to her chosen field.
Sometimes Hill helps by just sitting and visiting her neighbors and her sister, Mae. She knows people are lonesome, and often just need someone to talk to.
It would seem that she would never have time for her own chores and just to relax.
“I might lay down and rest for a while, but then it’ll be time to get the mail,” Hill laughed.
“The four walls close in on you, you know? I’m a Senior Companion, that’s what I’m supposed to do, visit, talk, and be a companion.”
Flora Bright, who also lives at Veigl Village, is another of Hill’s friends. They enjoy each other’s company immensely. Hill helps Bright any time she’s needed, and Bright knows she is only a phone call away at any time.
“Jimmie Banks is also a blessing to me,” said Hill of her next-door neighbor. “We have a lot in common, and I guess we are just a blessing to each other.”
It’s good to know there are people like Lorene Hill, whose niche in life is helping and caring for others, sharing their joys and sorrows, making everyone feel loved and needed, and being so loved in return.
“Mother is a true friend and neighbor,” said Jeanette.
