Longtime Lombard resident Howard Hill was treated to a 100th birthday celebration on Thursday, Aug. 27, with help from the Lombard VFW Lilac Post 5815 and Auxiliary (pictured with Hill and his wife Marilyn) and the York Township Senior Center. He chose the menu (eggplant parmesan) and was treated to a birthday cake, as was Marilyn, who recently turned 95. Hill is a World War II U.S. Navy veteran who was stationed aboard an aircraft carrier with the first group of troops to arrive at Nagasaki three weeks after it was bombed— where he helped transport prisoners of war and the injured. York Township Supervisor Tim Murray read a proclamation that named Aug. 29 as Howard Hill Day in York Township. Hill has spoken at Memorial Day ceremonies in Lombard and also took the Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. The Hills, who met on a blind date, recently celebrated their 69th anniversary. When asked about the secret to a long life, he responded, “A happy, healthy life,” after which Marilyn immediately added, “Shared together.”
