ROCKLAND — The City of Rockland recently accepted a sizable donation bequeathed to the Rockland Public Library by a Midcoast resident. That gift is one of several estate donations from the woman to local nonprofits.

Predeceased by her husband, John, Vera J. Hill passed away April 18, 2018, and in February 2019, the Rockland Library accepted an estate gift, dedicated “In memory of my beloved brother, George A. Van Tassel."

The $150,000 will go into a reserve account dedicated to the library, according to City Manager Tom Luttrell, during the Monday, Feb. 4, City Council agenda-setting meeting. The library is considering using the money for structural repairs not covered by capital improvements funds.

“I didn’t know Vera Hill, but I just want to thank her so much for leaving the library bequest,” said City Council member Valli Geiger, during the Feb. 11 council meeting. “It was such a wonderful thing to do. Our library clearly touched her, as it touches so many people. It’s a beautiful building in need of repair, and I think it’s just a great opportunity for us to look at that gift and figure out how to use it in a creative way.”

That estate gift is 15 percent of the original one million dollars distributed by Hill’s estate.

Other recipients include:

Humane Society of Knox County, Dba Pope Memorial Humane Society, $150,000.

Sangerville Public Library, $100,000, In memory of Richard Hill and Gladys Hill (decedent's mother and father-in-law)

Camden Public Library, $100,000

Abner Wade Masonic Lodge No. 207, in Sangerville, $50,000, In memory of Richard P. Hill (decedent's father in law) and John L. Hill (decedent's husband)

and St. Thomas Episcopal Church, $100,000.00, In memory of "my dear husband, John L. Hill"  

John and Vera Hill married September 8, 1956, in Boston. They lived in Brookline, Massachusetts, for several years before moving to houses in Camden, Rockport, and eventually Rockland.

Around 1960, John took a position at Dragon Cement Company, in Thomaston, where he worked for 15 years. Eventually, John succeeded his boss, John Pomery, as general manager of Dragon Cement. After that, he worked for about 10 years at People’s Heritage Bank, serving as its president, and retiring in 1982.

During his years of retirement, John was certified by the IRS and volunteered his time helping people do their taxes.

In his spare time, John was a long-time member of the Rockland Rotary Club and served as president for a few years. He was a very active Rotarian and enjoyed years of volunteering at the Rockland Lobster Festival and Meals on Wheels, according to long-time friend Julie Pfieffer.

For nearly twenty years, Vera worked as an executive assistant and personnel manager for National Sea Products, a Canadian Corporation, and took pride in her work, according to her obituary.

He and Vera also accumulated many years of active membership with the Episcopal Church.

John Lavate Hill was 89 when he died, August 5, 2015, at The Homestead in Owls Head, according to Pfieffer. He was born March 21, 1926 in Sangerville, the only child of Richard P. Hill and Gladys Bearse Hill.

His mother taught grades 4 – 6 and his father was employed by one of the local woolen mills.

John graduated from Sangerville High School in 1944. After his high school graduation, he enlisted in the Navy. After boot camp at the Great Lakes Station, he shipped out on a vessel which saw duty tending landing craft among the islands in the South Pacific. Following discharge from the service in 1946, he matriculated at the University of Maine and graduated with a degree in chemistry in 1950.

During college summer breaks, John worked for the Canadian Pacific Railroad.

He and Vera met when John rented a room from Vera’s mother, Kathleen VanTassal, on Newbury Street in Boston.

Vera was born April 1, 1926 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, the daughter of Kathleen Donovan and Alexander VanTassel.

She lived with her mother and one brother, George VanTassel in Royalton, New Brunswick where she attended school in a one-room school house and graduated from high school.

During the years of WW II, she worked for the Canadian Red Cross. After the war, she moved with her mother and brother to Brookline, Massachusetts, setting the stage for a future together with John.