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Theresa Martha Hill
Theresa M. (Procopio) Hill, a long time Malden resident, business owner, and artist, passed away peacefully on Friday afternoon October 7 in her home. Mrs. Hill emigrated from Calabria, Italy as a little girl of seven with her parents Frank and Florence (Strongoli) Procopio, to Malden. She settled immediately into school, not knowing a word of English, and graduated from Browne Junior High with honors. This was the Depression era, and to her great sorrow she had to quit school then, to go to work. An accomplished seamstress even at that young age, she began work in a ladies’ blouse factory on Kneeland Street and soon was advanced to sample maker. When the war was over, wedding gowns were hard to come by. To help a friend, she created her first wedding dress, never realizing that this would become her life’s work. When her five children were little, she had her basement converted into a full-scale design studio, and created custom gowns for weddings, cotillions, and bar mitzvahs. In 1967, she and her husband Frederick E. Hill, opened the Terry Hill Boutique in Malden, where Mrs. Hill’s commitment to fine workmanship and excellent customer service made the store a favorite for brides from New England and beyond. She was featured as an outstanding dressmaker and designer in more than one Boston Globe article. In 2000, she suffered a stroke that left her paralyzed on one side and without the ability to speak. Her dedicated work in therapy over many months allowed her to regain some mobility, and to her delight she was able to return to her home. During the next year, though confined to a wheelchair, she began experimenting with art, using a variety of mediums. With great determination she learned to control the brush and paint tubes with her left hand, and she found her niche in painting scenes of the coast in acrylics. Her portfolio of over 50 different paintings has been on display at home, and given as gifts to her extended family members. Amazed at her results, she reluctantly agreed to enter her work in a Saugus art show in 2003, where she won a blue ribbon! The defining moment in her life was when she accepted Christ as her personal Savior at the age of 13. She was a founding and faithful member of the fellowship at Walnut Street Gospel Hall in Saugus, formerly located in East Boston. With her husband, she joyfully opened her doors in hospitality to missionaries, evangelists, and friends from around the globe. Her bountiful table was legendary. Her husband of 49 years predeceased her in 1996. Two brothers Patrick and Joseph, her sister Dorothea, and her daughter-in-law, Connie Hill, also predeceased her. She leaves her children Jacquelyn Smith of Magnolia, MA; Karen Gilfillan of Saugus, Allen Hill of Palos Park, IL, Stephen Hill of Beaufort, SC, and Paula Hill-McIntosh of Malden; nine grandchildren Penelope Clark, Matthew, Ethan, and Eric Smith; Lindsey Boyer, Heather and Andrew Gilfillan; Dustin Hill and Alison Hebert; also eight great-grandchildren Elizabeth, Silas, Noah, and Anna Clark; Jack and Ezra Smith; Paige Boyer, and Harrison Hebert; her brother Frank Procopio of Middleton, sister Katherine Netti of OH, several nieces and nephews and loving family members. She has left a legacy of courage and integrity to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Her funeral will be at 10:30 on Tuesday October 11 at the Walnut Street Gospel Hall, 213 Walnut Street, Saugus, MA. Funeral arrangements by the Weir- Mac Cuish Funeral Home, Malden.
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