Alice Melanie Hill, 80, whose maternal family reaches back five generations in Walton, passed away in her home in Walton on Saturday morning, July 3, 2021.
Born on Feb. 9, 1941 in Ticonderoga, she was the daughter of the late Rev. Daniel Theodore Hill and Frances Mary Benedict Hill.
She grew up in the Episcopal Parish house of St. John’s Church in Richfield Springs, graduating from Richfield Springs High School. Melanie was awarded a National Merit Scholarship and attended Hobart and William Smith College in Geneva, earning a B.A. in English. After college she joined her sister, Sheila, in New York City where she enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Melanie made NYC her home for the next fifty years.
Her acting career started in avant-garde, Off-Off Broadway theatre in the late 1960s. She went on to tour with regional dinner theaters, performed in summerstock and TV. She was president of the Twelfth Night Club — the oldest club for professional women of the theater in the U.S. from 1991 to 1995. Founded in 1891, the club was dedicated to giving women a community along with providing a venue to act, direct and write for theater arts. The club also raised money for theater-related charities. She maintained memberships in theater unions such as the Actors’ Equity, SAG and AFTRA, as well as American Mensa Society.
Melanie had a long career in magazine publishing. She worked as a promotional copywriter for Time Inc. magazine group, whose publications included Time, Fortune, and People magazines. Following an early retirement in 2001, she continued her copywriting career freelancing for national publishing houses. Hearst, Condé Nast, The Wall Street Journal, and The Smithsonian were among her clients.
Melanie was a valued member of The Church of the Holy Trinity Episcopal church on Manhattan’s Upper East Side where she served as usher and head reader. Always active in community service, she managed Trinity’s volunteer program for the church’s homeless Men’s Shelter, and she continued this work from her home in Walton. She was also an active member and former president of the board of the Triangle Theatre, an Actors’ Equity-approved showcase company based at Trinity Church.
In 2014 Melanie became a full time resident of Walton, setting up home in the house where her mother had lived for many years. She quickly got involved in the Walton community and established many new and delightful friendships, and develop a new hobby — gardening! Always a prolific quilter, she finally had enough time to devote to the art of quilting. She quickly joined the Delaware County Town and Country Quilters and served as co-leader and secretary. An avid reader, she was a member of the Ogden Library reader’s group.
Melanie’s volunteer work was vast. She wrote articles for the Walton Historical Society newsletter, and was a committed volunteer at Christ Episcopal Church in Walton, often standing hours coordinating community dinners.
Survivors include her beloved cat, Luigi; her cousins Larry and the Rev. Laura Miller; her godson David Stewart Roberts III; and numerous friends and other relatives.
In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her sister, Sheila Theodora Hill Murray and her brother-in-law, George Lawrence Murray.
Funeral services will be held at on Friday, July 9, at 11 a.m. at the Christ Episcopal Church, 41 Gardiner Place, Walton. She will be laid to rest in Walton Cemetery, where she will join five generations of Benedict forebears.
Memorial contributions in Melanie’s name may be made to the Christ Episcopal Church, 41 Gardiner Place, Walton, NY 13856 or the William B. Ogden Free Library, 42 Gardiner Place, Walton, NY 13856.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Courtney Funeral Home, Walton. To leave a message for Melanie’s family, visit the online tribute at www.courtneyfh.com.
