Marie Hill Hastings

Marie Hill Hastings, a longtime resident of Colonial Heights, died on Friday, October18, 2024, surrounded by love at the Petersburg Home for Ladies in Petersburg, where she had lived for almost three years. She was 95 years old.

Mrs. Hastings had been married for 58 years to Glen T. Hastings Jr., a prominent home builder in Colonial Heights, who died in 2007. They had four daughters and were devoted members of the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer in Petersburg, to which she belonged for more than seven decades.

She was born in Laurel, Delaware on January 12, 1929, to Samuel and Carrie McGee Hill, and had three siblings. She met Glen Hastings, the love of her life, after World War II, when he returned from serving in the U.S. Army in Europe.

They married on July 28, 1949, and lived initially in Salisbury, Maryland. They moved to Petersburg in 1951, when he began working for R.G. Martz Construction Co., owned by his brother-in-law. He established his own home-building business in Colonial Heights, and they moved to the Sherwood Hills neighborhood there in 1962.

Mrs. Hastings and her husband loved to dance, especially to big band swing music, but she loved a wide range of music. She loved the arts and nurtured that love within her daughters.

She was an accomplished cook and hostess, who enjoyed baking for neighbors, friends, and her church. A delightful conversationalist, she kept her quick wit and sassy sense of humor to the end of her life.

Mrs. Hastings also was a skilled and devoted bridge player until she was 94, and a regular member of numerous bridge clubs.

An avid reader with a wide range of literary tastes, she remained attentive to current and cultural events. She was a lovely and gracious lady who was beloved by many.

Mrs. Hastings is survived by four daughters: Valerie Gregory, and her husband, Arlen, of Prince George, VA; Lynne Browne, and her husband, Paul, of Montoursville, PA.; Christine Hastings, and her partner, Frank Toler, of Roanoke, VA; and Claire Thomas, and her husband, Bryant, of Springfield, VA.

She also is survived by six grandchildren: Cory Barrett and his wife, Sarah Foote, of Colonial Heights; Carrie Barrett, and her partner, Paul Emerson, of Burbank, CA.; Havilah Kendall, of South Williamsport, PA.; Glen Thomas, and his partner Monica Slater, of San Francisco, CA.; Samuel Thomas, of Springfield; and Charles Thomas, of Blacksburg, VA.; and two great grandchildren: Ruby and Weston Barrett. She was blessed as well to love and be loved by a large, blended family of, “sons and daughters”, “grandchildren”, and “great-grandchildren”.

The family is grateful for the special devotion and care that Mrs. Hastings received at the Petersburg Home for Ladies, whose staff created a loving home for her. Their generous and kind spirits uplifted her as well as her family.

A memorial service will be held at the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer at 1769 S. Sycamore Street in Petersburg, Virginia, on Saturday, November 2, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. A reception will follow in the church fellowship hall. The family plans a private graveside gathering.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to the Petersburg Home for Ladies Fellowship Fund (https://petersburghomeforladies.org/fellowship-fund/) and/or the Colonial Heights Public Library (http://www.colonialheightsva.gov/531/Gifts-in-Honor-or-Memory)