Sally Gay Hill

Sally Gay (Ballard) Hill, age 75, passed away peacefully on March 7, 2025, in her home, surrounded by her devoted and loving family.

Bearing the namesake of her maternal grandmother, Sallie Jackson Perry, she was born the third child to the late Arthur Mitchell Ballard and Eleanor Clark Vance in Charlottesville, Virginia, on October 28, 1949.

She married the late Kenneth Ashton Hill in Lakeland, Florida, on October 29, 1983, and shared nearly 37 wonderful years together until his passing on August 15, 2020.

Preceded in death by her brother Gerald Michael Ballard, she is survived by her sisters Marita Ketchen Bussard and Kay Ballard Taraschi; her children Madison Eleanor Hill and Michael Ashton Hill; her nieces Janet Frazier, Rebecca Wyles, Bianca Taraschi, and Scarlett Taraschi; and her nephews Nicholas Taraschi, Sergio Taraschi, Thomas Ketchen, Charles Ketchen, and Frank Ketchen.

She became a Floridian in 1963 when her family relocated to Satellite Beach for her father’s supervisory role on the Vertical Assembly Building construction at Cape Canaveral, and she remained in Florida for almost all her life.

Graduating from Satellite High School in 1967, she earned her certification from the American Society of Radiologic Technologists in 1971 and began a lifelong career in radiologic technology, practicing as an X-ray technologist for many years. She later expanded her credentials with certification in Mammography, a field in which she continued to serve patients with skill, compassion, and a bright, uplifting presence for more than 20 years.

Her consummate maternal devotion was a guiding force in her children’s lives, instilling loyalty and inspiring confidence and strength. A great listener with a gregarious soul and a heart quick to offer compliments, she was the last to find fault with others and the first to welcome them back.

Her unwavering faith carried her through both light and shadow — lifting her spirits in bright seasons and steadying her heart through times of trepidation. She entered full communion with the Roman Catholic Church in 2010.

By her husband’s side again, and with a lucid mind restored, she is bathed in the light of the Holy Father for all eternity.

She will be dearly missed.

A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 5, at Beach Funeral Home in Indian Harbour Beach, Florida. Visitation will begin at 12:00 noon.

If so desired, memorial donations can be made to the Brevard Alzheimer’s Foundation.