Joy Leon Hill

Joy Leon Hill, 91, passed away March 9, 2024. He was also known as Brother to many, Mr. Leon and Uncle. Leon was born at Pettus, Lonoke County, Arkansas on October 4, 1932, to Laney and Vuel Jane Harwood Hill. After graduating from Lonoke High School in 1950, Leon attended State Teachers College in Conway and then the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville where he was a Sigma Chi majoring in agriculture and business.  The Korean War cut short his time at U of A when he decided to serve his country by enlisting in the US Army and served in Germany, working at the crime lab in Frankfurt.  At one point, Leon finally achieved his dream of owning a convertible by purchasing a big yellow Packard. This was used on many weekend trips.  Upon returning home from Germany in 1958, Leon took over the management and operation of the family farm in Lonoke County expanding the acreage under row crop cultivation and in 1963 diversified and became a pioneer and leader in Arkansas catfish farming.  Along with biologist Bobby Hopper, new methods of spawning, hatching, growing, and feeding were developed.   One of the world’s largest hatcheries was constructed at the Lonoke farm attracting visitors worldwide.  Leon devoted countless hours, energy, and resources traveling Arkansas promoting and energizing the catfish industry as well as representing Arkansas nationally.  In 1964 the entire Hill family, Laney, Vuel, Leon, and Jane Ann was honored as the Lonoke County Farm Family of the Year.   That same year Leon was awarded National Catfish Farmer of the Year. After meeting and marrying his wife Charlotte in 1969, they attended 17 of the next 18 annual conventions. In 1988, Leon and Charlotte were awarded Farm Family of the year.  Recently chronicled in the Arkansas Farm Bureau Front Porch Magazine, “Flying Fish” 45 years ago Lonoke Farmers went on a wild ride landing in Panama and changing the world.  On Sunday February 12, 1978 three Arkansas growers of White Amurs, an Asian vegetation-eating carp loaded their fish trucks onto the C-130 at the Little Rock AFB for their journey to the Panama Canal.   There the  White Amurs were a last ditch effort of the Panamanian government to rid the canal of a serious aquatic weed problem which was making it unnavigable.  While this trip ended up being fraught with unforeseen issues and 90% of the fish were lost, the farmers were determined not to be bested.   On March 16, 1978 armed with newer innovation and techniques, including tranquilizing the fish, 190,000 White Amurs were swimming in the Panama Canal System.   Today approximately 15,000 ships make close to 1 million safe passes annually, saving 8,000 miles around the southern tip of South America.     

^{Later in his career, he and a group of friends built a Feed Mill in Dumas that produced catfish food and dog food.}          Growing up with parents who loved to hunt and fish, Leon was an avid sportsman and conservationist, frequently traveling the state and our blessed nation with college fraternity friends, Lonoke friends, and family engaging in “a hunt” for deer, elk, moose, antelope, or fishing for crappie in East Lake or marlin in the Gulf of Mexico.

Evidence of all are beautifully mounted in his trophy room.  He sometimes quipped, “I wanted to build that room bigger, but Charlotte wouldn’t let me.”   Leon is a 32^nd Degree Mason, Shriner, 50 plus year member of Sigma Chi fraternity, also he helped to establish the Lonoke Banking Center in Lonoke.   

He was a faithful member of the Lonoke Baptist Church.   He was very generous with his nieces, and nephews and their schooling and tons of organizations.Leon was predeceased by his beloved wife of 46 years, Charlotte White Hill.  He leaves his loving sister, Jane Ann Hill Benafield of North Little Rock, nephew Bruce (Natalie) Benafield of Conway (children Drue, Cameron, Paige) and nephew Blake (Lacie) Benafield of North Little Rock (children Will and Cole), Sister-in-law, Betty Nixon of Conway, and brother-in-law Sam White (Sylvia) of Florida along with countless friends and family.   The family thanks Patricia Sample for the two years of care she provided.  We will be forever grateful.

A visitation will be held 5-7pm Monday night at Boyd Funeral Home Chapel, 207 E  Second St., Lonoke.  Funeral services will be held 2:00 pm, Tuesday, March 12, 2024 at Lonoke Baptist Church, 406 SW Front St. A short visitation will begin at 1:00 pm before the service.  Jimmy Wallace will be officiating.

Pallbearers are Bruce Benafield, Blake Benafield, Steve Scroggins, Neal Anderson, Mike Hill and Scott White.  Honorary Pallbearers are Dr. Porter Rogers, Bobby Hopper, Frank Elder, Gary Canada, Darrel Webb, Phillip Howell and Bo Grady.  

Graveside service will follow at Lonoke Cemetery. Funeral arrangements provided by Boyd Funeral Home of Lonoke.   Online guestbook, www.boydfuneralhome.net  In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Lonoke Baptist Church; Caney Creek Baptist Church Building Fund, 404 Lynn Lane, Lonoke, AR   72086 or charity or Hospice of your choice.