Andrew Richardson Hill

Andy Hill of Redmond, Washington was surrounded by loving family members when he lost his final battle with lung cancer on Oct. 31. He was a native of Denver, Col., the son of Claudia Richardson Hill of Denver and the late Lee R. Hill.

He attended East High School in Denver, graduated in 1981 and deferred admission to college and worked as an aide at Bromwell Elementary School for a year introducing everyone in the school to “computers.” He then attended and graduated cum laude from Colgate University in 1986 with a B.S in physics and computer science. After working for a software firm for two years, he enrolled at the Harvard Business School where he earned his MBA in 1990.

Andy went straight to the Microsoft Corporation in Redmond upon graduation. There he helped spearhead the development of Windows 95, and was named Rookie of the Year at Microsoft. In 1993 he and Molly Melville of Pittsford, NY were married. After eleven years with Microsoft and three children later, Andy left the company to continue the work he had done in the community and to spend more time with his family. He coached soccer teams, tutored students in math at the local elementary school, helped build public soccer complexes and was the PTSA treasurer and president.

In 2009, Andy was diagnosed with lung cancer, despite never having smoked. Beating all the odds and through the use of a cutting-edge cancer treatment, Andy managed the disease for years, living cancer free. With the new perspective of having come so close to death, Andy leaned further into community service. In 2010, running against an incumbent, Andy was elected to the Washington State Senate. After a successful first term, he was re-elected in 2014. Andy chaired the Senate Ways and Means Committee and was one of the principal budget writers. The

legislative programs of which he was most proud were the Vulnerable Individual Protection (VIP) Act which provided aid to the developmentally disabled and the 25 percent tuition reduction in Washington state universities and community colleges.

The only thing Andy loved more than public service was his family – Molly and children, Katie, Allie, and Charlie – he was tremendously proud of each of them.

In addition to his family and his mother, Andy is survived by two brothers: Lee. R. Hill, Jr. (Rob), of Denver, his wife Julie and their children Robby, Andrew, twins Nicole and Eliza; and Wayne S. Hill, his younger brother, of Orinda, Calif. his wife Jennifer and their children: twins Lila and Henry and Matthew. Andy’s aunt, Diana Groves and her children, cousins K.C. Groves, Charlie Groves and sister Kelly Groves Dignan and all their children, Andy’s uncle Lee Richardson, his wife Carol and their children Lisa Andres and Doug Richardson and all their children.

Andy’s wife Molly has asked to send the family’s gratitude to everyone who knew and was touched by Andy. A memorial service was be held on Nov. 11, in Redmond at St. Jude Catholic Church and was followed by a reception at Microsoft. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Andy’s name to Cancer Pathways, Global Resource for Advancing Cancer Education (GRACE), or Dr. Jed Gorden’s outreach to underserved communities through Swedish Medical Center in Seattle (www.swedishfoundation.org/andy-hill).

Please also take a moment to share any memories of Andy or messages to the family by emailing RememberAndyHill@gmail.com.