Barbara Elaine HillNovember 24, 1929 - September 01, 2017PortervilleBarbara was born on November 24, 1929 in Oakland, California to parents, Raphael Earl Stewart and Margaret Mary Stewart (nee Burley). The Great Depression was getting into full swing when Barbara moved with her parents and brother Richard, to the Mariposa area ranch owned by her grandparents, William and Tryphena Stewart. Life on the ranch was rustic and quite primitive, and Barbara enjoyed telling the story of them being the first family in the area to get an indoor toilet. She said that she was the envy of all her friends in her first grade class because of that household addition. Barbara's family moved from the ranch in 1936 and settled in Los Angeles. There she attended St. Brigid's Parochial School and St. Mary's Academy High School. She was very athletic, president of the school GAA, a three sport varsity player, excelling in swimming. While in her first semester at UCLA she met William "Bill" Hill, and they were married in 1948. They continued to reside in Los Angeles where Barbara worked as a bookkeeper putting Bill through law school. The move to Porterville in 1952, when Bill began his law practice, was what Barbara used to say was her move to a third world country. A city girl, who didn't drive, arriving during one of those famous months-long Tule fog spells, pregnant with her second child, to a place with no dial phones and a party line, to boot, knowing only four other people (Bill's sister and family), Barbara always said it was a miracle she didn't go postal on Bill. But, Barbara soon made many friends, became active in civic and church organizations and remained a Porterville resident for the next 65 years. She raised her four children: Roland, Christopher, Margaret and David; was a wonderful friend to many, and became one of the area's best Bridge players, amassing an incredible number of Master Points with the ACBL, narrowly missing the status of Life Master by only two points. She had just recently been awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the ACBL. Barbara was preceded in death by her parents, Ray and Margaret Stewart, her husband, Bill, her son, Christopher, and her brother, Richard. She is survived by her children: Roland (Linda) of Porterville, Margaret "Peggy" of Pacific Grove, David (Amber) of Porterville; brothers, Don of Newport Beach, and James (Donna) of San Jose; nine grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and, numerous nieces and nephews.A memorial service and celebration of life will be held for Barbara at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Foundation of the Blind, the MS Society, or, the . Special thanks goes to the American Foundation for the Blind's Talking Books Library Program. Because of Barbara's vision deficiencies for the past 48 years, even simple life tasks were often difficult for her. But thanks to the Talking Books Program, Barbara remained an avid "reader" which provided her with enumerable hours of entertainment. The family wishes to extend their deepest gratitude to Optimal Hospice and their wonderful staff who helped her during her last couple of months and to Barbara's friend and caregiver, LaDonna Jones, who helped her so much for so long.