Hawaiian shirts and Vans shoes were sported by family and friends to the memorial celebration for Bruce Kevin Hill on Thursday, September 10, at the Peg Egan Center in Egg Harbor. The shirts and shoes, along with the Spotted Cow on tap, were favored items of Hill. The world lost a big laugh and a good time when Hill died suddenly on April 28, 2026.

 

Hill, a man of ideas, wit and fun who served on the Egg Harbor Village Board of Trustees for eight years, including three as president, was enjoying winter in California when he died suddenly of a heart attack.

 

Hill was born to Everett and Elizabeth (Rehome) Hill on March 11, 1953 in Fargo, North Dakota, and spent his childhood in St. Paul, Minnesota. He attended the University of Minnesota, then began his career working in sales in the grocery industry, fitting for a man who worked nights stocking shelves at the local grocery store in high school. 

 

For many years he worked for ConAgra and Redenbacher Popcorn in sales, and was a discerning popcorn eater for the rest of his life. After working and living in Chicago for many years, he retired to get out of the rat race and moved to Egg Harbor, where he purchased the Lul-A-Bi Inn. He enjoyed running the inn and getting involved in local issues. He joined the Egg Harbor Lions Club, and was an early proponent of room tax to help improve county marketing as tourism waned in the early 2000s. In the early days of the Door County Tourism Zone Commission, he served as a liaison between Destination Door County and community business associations to help distribute and use funds for local efforts. 

 

He soon entered village politics, running for the board, and he loved being involved in his community. When he wasn’t doing that, he loved music, especially Chicago blues, and despite his years in Minnesota and Chicago, he saw the light and became a full-fledged Packer backer. 

 

In 2013, he met Ellen Weidner, who would become his partner in fun for the rest of his life. After selling the Lul-A-Bi and moving to Fish Creek, he loved to find a stool with Weidner and catch up on local scuttlebutt at Bayside, Alexander’s and Hill Street.  They finally got engaged in 2025 in the front seat of a Honda Pilot on I-25 near Wagon Mount, New Mexico, when Ellen finally said yes to his annual proposals. They got married on the beach in San Diego in 2025 in a small ceremony officiated by his niece, Samantha, who he adored.

 

Hill is survived by his wife, Ellen, and his brother Doug of Ontario, Canada.