Warren Hill

Warren Hill Obituary
June 10, 2024

Warren Hill, an internationally noted figure in the Art of Bonsai, passed away peacefully at home following a lengthy illness on Monday night.
Of Scandinavian ancestry, Warren was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Arnold and Ester Hill. The family moved to California when he was a child.
Always industrious, at the young age of six Warren would take his little shoeshine box and visit the U.S. Navy Yard to shine the shoes of the sailors and soldiers.
He was hired at the age of 16 by Disneyland, in Anaheim, Calif., to paint Walt Disney’s apartment on Disneyland’s Main Street prior to the park’s opening. While Warren was painting, Mr. Disney walked in and surprised him. They started a conversation, and Mr. Disney thanked Warren for doing a good job.
Through these and other odd jobs he was able to buy his first pride and joy – his first car, a black 1940 Ford.
Following high school graduation, Warren served in the U.S. Air Force as a radar technician from 1956-1959, with duty stationed in Libya.
When he returned home from service in the armed forces, he gained employment with Westinghouse as an electrical engineer. He often remarked that he had to take a car, bus, boat, and seaplane to get to work. Warren also worked and later retired from Edison International.
In 1962, his first little girl, Dawn Yvette, was born. In 1964, his second daughter, Lisa Ann, was born.
Warren loved nature and developed a passion for photography as a way of showcasing the world that he saw around him. Always adventurous, he would go to any length to get the landscape he wanted in the way he envisioned it.
He often took his daughters with him to create his artistic photos, and those pictures remain a tribute to his creativity and imagination.
His love of Bonsai began in his twenties, when he walked into an exhibition called “What is Bonsai?” at the California Museum of Science and Industry in Los Angeles. “I didn’t know what I was looking at,” he said later, “but I knew I had to learn more about these little trees.”
This singular “life-altering moment” started his lifelong journey and love affair with the art of Bonsai.
After studying with such notables as John Naka and Sabrero Kato, he later returned to study at Moorpark College, in California. There he sought to learn everything about agriculture relating to soil and water for the growth of the Lilliputian trees. He even became a teacher at Moorpark College for a while.
Warren was selected to exhibit in the Masterworks of Bonsai Exhibition, Japanese American Cultural Center, Los Angeles, in 1981, an exhibition sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts.
In 1996, Warren was selected by the Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture to be the Supervisory Curator for the United States Bonsai and Penjing Museum at the U.S. National Arboretum, Washington, D.C.
During his tenure at the Museum, Warren was named an advisor to the National Bonsai Foundation, Washington, D.C. At the museum he had the ability to put his gift for styling and display to good use. He cared for the trees and fostered relationships with the volunteers and staff.
Warren and the late Dr. Marlin Mathiesen, a longtime Greeneville physician who passed away in 2013, had become close friends when Warren was teaching in California and Dr. Mathiesen was a student. In 1998, Warren came to Greeneville at Dr. Mathiesen’s invitation to be a guest speaker at the Morning Rotary Club. At the meeting, Warren sat across from Sharon Jeffers Hackett, a Greene Countian and member of the club. The two began a conversation that never ended and led to their marriage in 2000. She moved to Washington, D.C. with him.
On September 30, 2001, he retired after serving as head of the Museum’s Staffing and Operations.
Following his retirement, he moved back to Tennessee with his wife, Sharon. Together, they established and operated a school of Bonsai called Tree Haven at their home here.
The Golden State Bonsai Federation awarded Warren the Circle of Sensei Award in 2013. Other distinguished recipients of the award include John Naka, Ben Oki, and Harry Hirao. Warren was a man who lived the spirit and philosophy of bonsai (Bonsai No Kokoro) every day.
He was able to share and teach his philosophy, artistry and passion with so many students who admired him and his work. He was not only a teacher and friend to many, but also a father figure to those students who had the honor to become close to him.
In addition to his busy schedule, Warren authored numerous articles on Bonsai and Horticulture for state, national, and international publications. His work and value in the Bonsai community will live on through the next generations of students as will his trees. He will be deeply missed.
He is survived by his wife: Sharon Jeffers Hill; two daughters: Dawn (Harry) Burger and Lisa Hill-Baertschi; grandchildren: Lukas Bridgeman, Lauren Bridgeman, Kyla Bridgeman, Andre Baertschi, and Miko Baertschi; step-children: Russ (Kimberly) Hackett, Jason (Tasha) Hackett; step-grandchildren: Russell Hackett, Riley Hackett, Katie Beaty, and Candace Beaty; sister: Dolores Tate-Mayeski; brother-in-law: Simon Mayeski; mother of his children: Byrle Hancock Hill; and four nieces.
Sharon would like to thank all of the care-givers Warren has had over the years. Angie Hopson, Yvette Lamb, Crystal Royston, Chrissy Yates, Michelle Swatzell, and Carolyn Davis have become like family to us. We could not have stayed home without their loving care.
Sharon would also like to thank the U.S. Veterans Administration, Dr. Ken Nichols and staff, and Amedisys Home Health and Hospice Care.
A graveside service will be held at Graceland Memorial Gardens on Thursday, June 13th at 1:00 p.m. A celebration of Warren’s life and gathering of friends will immediately follow the service at Jeffers Funeral and Cremation Chapel (Afton).
The family asks that, in honor of Warren’s love of nature, those wishing to make a memorial please consider making a donation to The Sierra Club Foundation (https://www.sierraclubfoundation.org) or the Audubon Society (www.audubon.org).

Thoughts and memories may be shared at www.jeffersmortuary.com