Holly Springs Funeral Home

William Ralph Hill
William Ralph Hill, 78, of Hickory Flat, Mississippi passed away on February 27, 2026 at the Baptist hospital in New Albany. He was born on August 17, 1947 in Toone, Tennessee to the late Mr. William Lester and Mrs. Evie Marie McLeroy Hill. He was a Christian, a proud veteran of the United States Army, and he worked in the transportation industry. Mr. Hill is survived by 3 daughters, Cheryl (Bodie Smith), Karen (Brad Spears), and Alesha (Jimmy Boyd), 10 grandchildren, Brad Smith, Sean Spears (Sydney), Morgan McMillen (Presley), Jasmine Kleyla (Anthony), Cody Adair, Jake Spears, Emily Spears, Callie Adair, Tommy Spears, and Greyson Boyd, as well as 3 great-grandchildren, Jett, Brooks, and Mary. He is also survived by a brother, Mike Hill (Mary) and 4 sisters, Wanda Purder, Margie Taylor, Brenda Kidd (Buddy), and Judy Cocke (Anthony). He is preceded in death by his wife, Mary Nell Howell Hill, parents, and 3 sisters, Linda Cannon, Kathy Hester, and Norma Cianciola. Mr. Hill will be missed by all who knew and loved him. Visitation will be held from 1 until service time. The funeral service will begin at 2:00 PM. Services will be held in the chapel of the Holly Springs Funeral Home on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. Burial will follow in the Temperance Hill Cemetery in Potts Camp where he will be buried and military funeral honors will be given.

Please leave your condolences for the family below in the guest book by filling out the form below. Your message will be published after review.


Name: Message:

Name: Mike and Mandy Suhre Date: 3/2/2026 11:23:31 PM Message: We are so sorry for your loss. We will pray for strength and comfort as you go this time of grief.

Name: Olivia Bracero and family Date: 3/2/2026 11:51:35 PM Message: Please accept our deepest condolences ?? we loved Uncle Ralph very much and he will be missed. Have comfort and hope because we will see him again. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Name: Wanda Puder ( sister) Date: 3/3/2026 12:14:59 AM Message: I will miss my brother, Ralph very much. He was a huge help to Mother during our younger years. He was a kind, funny very loving man. Ralph is with GOD now he is no longer in pain. Rest in Peace brother, you are with the best. I will miss you.

Name: Jamie Sappington Date: 3/3/2026 2:26:04 AM Message: Cheryl, Karen and Alesha You all are in my heart, in my thoughts and prayers along with all the great memories I have of growing up. Ralph (AKA Uncle Ralph) will be truly missed.

Name: Michelle Hess Date: 3/3/2026 4:47:00 PM Message: So sorry my sweet friend for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. May God give you peace and comfort during this difficult time.

Name: Jolene Howell Date: 3/3/2026 7:54:27 PM Message: Girls, I am sorry I was unable to be there with you three. I will keep you in my prayers.

Name: Leah Puder-Berryhill Date: 3/4/2026 1:42:52 PM Message: Your sky-blue eyes always found the joy first, catching the light the same way your laughter did—deep, rolling, and full of life. That sound reached us before your grin ever did, wrapping around a room and pulling every heart a little closer. You carried humor like a gift, offering it freely, turning ordinary moments into stories we still hold tight. Family was your favorite place to be. Fish fries in the yard, gatherings that stretched long past sunset, stories passed around like plates—you were the spark that kept it all warm. Your hushpuppies—golden, crisp, beer-battered and made with love—became part of our family’s language, a taste of home. You lived easy, shoulders relaxed, heart steady, never needing to be the center of attention to be the center of our comfort. But when it came to your people, you stood fierce—a quiet protector, a loyal presence, a man whose love didn’t waver. Vietnam shaped your courage, but God shaped your gentleness. You carried both without fanfare, without asking for recognition, yet we saw it—in your patience, in your kindness, in the way you showed up again and again. You lived the truth of “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” And now, in the place where Christ wipes every tear, I picture you whole— pain gone, sorrow lifted, joy restored in full measure. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying…” The former things have passed away, just as He promised. I see you stepping into the Father’s house—the one with many rooms prepared long before you arrived—hearing the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant… enter into the joy of your Lord.” There, in that joy, you are reunited with your sisters, your parents, and your beloved Mary Nell, held in the everlasting arms that carried you home. And I see you and my daddy—two brothers in spirit—swapping tall tales, laughing that deep laugh, frying up the best beer-battered hushpuppies heaven’s ever seen. A table full again. A circle unbroken. A feast that never ends. Here, the gatherings feel different, the air a little quieter, but your spirit lingers—in the sizzle of a fryer, in the echo of shared laughter, in the stories we tell because you lived them with us. And when grief feels heavy, we hold to the promise: “We do not grieve as those who have no hope… for God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep.” Your blue eyes still shine in our memories. Your deep laughter still rolls through our hearts. Your love still anchors this family. And somewhere beyond the veil, in that bright country where peace finally stays, you rest in the truth of the Psalmist: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” We picture you there—whole, joyful, laughing— waiting for the day when we join you, and all of us, together again, will laugh in the presence of the Lord. You will be deeply missed, and joyfully remembered.