Carol-Gay Hile

Nov 11, 1942 -

Apr 24, 2026

Carol-Gay (Williams) Hile, 83, passed away on April 24, 2026. She died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones at Horizon House in Anchorage, Alaska.

Gay was born on Nov. 11, 1942, in Sweet Home, and later moved to Coquille, Ore., for high school. In 1961, she moved to Anchorage to stay with her aunt Ginger. A year later she met Richard "Butch" Hile, and they were married in June. Gay and Butch were married for 41 very happy years, during which they had three daughters: Stacey, Shannon and Melissa. For over 20 years, Gay worked as the Cafeteria Manager for the Anchorage School District, which she later retired from.

For many years, Gay and Butch had a home in Mesa, Ariz., where they were regular snowbirds. After Butch's death in 2003, she continued to visit Mesa for a few months a year until her own health declined. Gay was a dedicated member of the Catholic church. She and Butch were also active members of the Elks Club and were frequent golfers in both Alaska and Arizona. When their daughters were younger, she participated in multiple bowling leagues and helped coach junior bowling for many years.

Gay was a loving mother and grandmother who oriented herself around family. She loved to cook with her family and brought so much positivity and happiness to every room she was in.

In 2015, she moved to Horizon House, where she spent her final years.

Her family wrote: "Our mom and grandmother was a wide-eyed optimist in her own words. She loved her family and friends and appreciated people especially the caring staff at Horizon House. She was happy and almost always smiling, even though the progression of her dementia, she maintained her happy disposition."

Gay was preceded in death by her husband, Butch; granddaughter, Corey; parents, Mel and JJ Williams; parents-in-law, Valerie and Ross Lowder; and her sister-in-law, Jan Williams. She is survived by her daughters, Stacey (Fred) Koenig, Shannon (Mark) Moorhead and Melissa Hile; granddaughters, Cheree (Britany) Rainey, Elizabeth (Reuben) Seidl, Samantha (Andrew) Budig and Valerie (Dakota) Zabawa; great-grandson, Caleb Seidl; brother, Larry Williams; and nephews on both sides of the family.

A celebration of Gay's life will be held at a later date in 2026. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly request that charitable donation be made the Alzheimer's Association or the American Cancer Society.