Hilliard Rhodes Jordan, Jr., 74, best known as “Hill,” passed away at his home in Skylake on June 18, 2021. As in life, his death marks a milestone in the lives of those who knew and loved him.
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Services for Hill will be held at First Baptist Church, Lawrenceville, on Tuesday, July 6, 2021. Visitation will begin at 1 p.m., with services at 3 p.m.
Born on June 6, 1947, Hill spent his childhood on Culver Street in Lawrenceville. He graduated from Central Gwinnett High School in 1965, staying close to his classmates for over 50 years. After college at Emory, the draft in Korea, and law school at the University of Georgia, Hill practiced law with his father, mayor of Lawrenceville, Rhodes Jordan Sr. Years of legal practice, marriage and children, gave Hill the opportunity to become deeply involved in the welfare of his community. He was a servant leader in his church, its youth group, the American Red Cross, AID Gwinnett, the Kiwanis Club, and a variety of projects over the years.
After the death of his father, Hill closed their law practice and found his calling in the world of secondary education. In 1996, he joined the staff at Phoenix High School in Lawrenceville, and spent a decade as a teacher to the students in his government and law classes. Retiring in 2008, he continued to give time to projects he valued, serving as president of the Property Owners Association in the northeast Georgia community of Skylake, as well as a member of the Scholarship, Emergency Preparedness and Trail committees.
If the stories told by his friends are to be believed, Hill was a man whose life story was checkered enough to be herringbone. He was raised with the Baptist faith and a “catch the wind” spirit, which his sense of self confidence never questioned. His charm and manners belied a wicked wit and rejection of foolishness and pretension. We all learned early on not to ask his opinion unless we were ready to hear it.
He would always look you in the eye. His love of travel and adventure still serve as springboards for stories among his friends. He could find humor in almost any situation, and somehow make us believe that, whatever the challenge, things would turn out all right in the end.
His spirit has enriched the lives of so many. In our sorrow, we find comfort, knowing that his life had meaning and touched the future in ways that we are yet to see.
Hill is survived by his wife, Denise Hartzell, daughters Allison Jordan (Ken), Emily Carter (Chris), and Annie Zonneveld; sisters Judy Jordan Johnson (Allan), and June Franklin (Barry). He adored his granddaughters, Elizabeth and Kathryn Carter, and Olivia Zonneveld, his nephew Stephen Franklin (Melissa), niece Kelley Munger (Evan), their children and an extended family of great nieces, nephews and cousins.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to:
- Children First/CIS, P.O. Box 16695, Asheville, N.C. 28816;
- The Michael J. Fox Foundation, P.O. Box 5014, Hagerstown, Md. 21741-5014; or to
- Charles Smithgall Humane Society, P.O. Box 2090, Cleveland, Ga. 30528.
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