Loran Craig Hill, 78, passed away April 14, 2026, at his home in New Braunfels, Texas, following an extended illness. A Memorial Service and Remembrance of his life will be held April 25, 2026 at Chapel Hill Funeral Home in San Antonio, Texas. Visitation at 12:30; Memorial Service at 1:00

A fifth generation Texan, whose family founded Hill County and the City of Hillsboro, Loran was born in Austin, Texas on November 12, 1947. He spent his childhood in Waco and was a member of the first class at Richfield High School He was looking forward to attending their upcoming 60th reunion.

Loran attended Abilene Christian College (now ACU) where he was partnered on the debate team with Carol Ford from Hialeah, Florida. The pairing was so successful that they recently celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary. They lived in Waco, where Loran graduated from Baylor University with a B.A. degree in Communications in 1972. That same year their son Charles Robert was born the week before Christmas.

Following graduation, Loran began his lifelong employment with the State of Texas, providing assistance and protection to the weak, sick, elderly folks who needed a helping hand. He worked first with the Department of Welfare, then the Health Department as a nursing home inspector, and finally serving as the Director of Long Term Care, Region 8 (San Antonio) with the Department of Health and Human Services until his retirement in 1998. He went on to earn a Master of Science degree in Environmental Management from Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, Texas.

Loran loved to travel and was making plans to visit Hawaii and Wisconsin to complete his goal of visiting all 50 states. He had an encyclopedic memory, especially for military history, planes and cars. As eclectic as his tastes were for politics and reading, his eating philosophy was narrow, believing that salads and vegetables were what real food ate. He loved to prepare and share hamburgers, spaghetti and barbecued ribs for family meals. Having thoughtful conversation and debate, especially with his grandchildren, was his most cherished pastimes.

He is survived by his wife Carol; son Charles Robert Hill (Michelle) and grandchildren Lauren and Hailey (San Antonio); sister Andria Hill (Austin) and her son Nathaniel Hill (Kadi) and their children Anora, Lily, Moses and Magdalene (Shreveport, LA); brother Rod Hill and his daughter Kirsti-rose (Denton); step-mother Wilma Smith Hill (Waco) and several cousins.

Preceding him in death are his parents Walter and Anne Hill and his grandparents Jack and Annie Mae Peters.

The family is deeply grateful for the excellent and supportive care and therapy provided by the professionals of the New Braunfels Regional Rehabilitation Hospital in-patient and outpatient departments and Enhabit Home Healthcare.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Meals on Wheels, Local Animal Rescue Shelters or a charity of your choice.

A private interment will follow at Chapel Hill Memorial Park. Loran will be laid to rest overlooking Randolph Field, near a railroad track, so that visitors who come to remember him can share his love for airplanes and trains.