Tom Hill

Thomas "Tom" Waddell Hill, 87, of Zirconia passed away Monday, Sept 29, 2025, in a health care facility in Asheville.

He was a native of Henderson County, a son of the late Boney H. Hill and Sadie Clark Hill, and husband of the late Virginia Walker Hill. He was also preceded in death by two sisters, Vivian Hill Jones and Barbara Hill Garrison, and a brother, Maurice "Bud" Hill. He grew up on the family farm and apple orchard in East Flat Rock. He was a graduate and valedictorian of Hendersonville High School and a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Wake Forest University. He received his Ph.D. in Theorectical Physics from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

After completing his doctorate he worked at the former Naval Ordnance Laboratory in Maryland. He worked 20 years for the US Air Force, with tours at the Eastern Test Range in Cape Canaveral, the Space Defense Center in Colorado Springs, the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the European USAF Headquarters in Ramstein-Miesenbach in Germany, and the Special Weapons Center in Albuquerque, N.M. He contributed to numerous defense projects, including the Space Shuttle program, the MX missile platform, and the Strategic Defense Initiative. He was later employed in defense work in Los Angeles as a subcontractor.

He returned to Henderson County in retirement, becoming active in politics. In 2014, he ran as the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 11th Congressional District.

Survivors include three sons and their families: Steven Hill, wife Corinne, and their three daughters, Calista, Gabriella, and Madeline of New York City and New Jersey; Michael Hill and wife, Maple, and Philip Hill and wife, Hiromi, and their two children, Phoenix and Hunter, all of California; a brother, G. Tony Hill of Zirconia and Florida; and several nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday Oct. 18, 2025, at Church Street Funeral & Cremation, 125 S. Church St. Hendersonville, NC 28792.