PORTSMOUTH, RI – Katie June Hill, 42, died peacefully on Saturday morning, Oct. 7, 2017, at her home in Portsmouth, RI. She passed away from metastatic breast cancer.
Katie spent her childhood in Maine and Washington, Connecticut, where she attended Shepaug Valley Regional High School, before continuing her studies at the University of Connecticut. Her passion for dance and music and commitment to social justice combined to shape her education and career. In 1993 she was ranked as one of the top five sopranos in the State of Connecticut, and went on to sing in the Connecticut All State and All Eastern choirs, the latter including top singers from each state along the eastern seaboard. She began college as a music major, but turned her attentions to the social sciences, graduating in 1998 with dual degrees in Sociology and Psychology. She served as President of the Fort Pierce Jazz and Blues Society (Florida) and worked in donor development for LifeBridge Community Services, Bridgeport, CT.
Katie was an avid reader. She enjoyed travel, hiking, opera, and playing piano. Although trained in classical ballet, she especially loved salsa.
She is survived by her loving husband and dance partner, Todd Kristofik; her mother and stepfather, Dr. Cherra Wyllie and Marko Beznosiuk of Washington, CT; father, Leslie Hill and his wife, Alma, of Patten, Maine; sisters, Christy Hill and Franky Centore of Katy, Texas; Todd Chase of Gorham, Maine, and Linda Chase-Smith of Patten; in-laws, Edmund, Mary Ellen, Kirk, and Dean Kristofik, Pittsburgh, PA; and dearest friend, Carrie Lasar Greene of Avon, CT, along with an extensive network of close family and friends.
A memorial service will be held on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017, 6:30 p.m. at Mount Hope Farm, 250 Metacom Avenue, Bristol, RI. In lieu of flowers, it was Katie’s wish that donations be made in her memory to LifeBridge Community Services, Bridgeport, CT, or to the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary, Newtown, CT.
