Ryan Charles Hill, "Vern" to those of us who knew him best, 52, of Sycamore, passed away September 11, 2025, likely to avoid another disappointing White Sox season.

Ryan was born on July 8, 1973, in Sycamore, Illinois, to Donna (Lee) and Dennis Hill. He married Kristin Kwiecinski on September 12, 2003, and together they had three daughters: Reese, Ella, and Kylan. A lifelong member of St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Ryan carried the values of faith and community with him in every season of his life.

When God created Ryan, he crafted a friend for our small town—one who never turned away from your problems, who'd hand you his shirt off his back and his chores off his own list in the same breath. He had a way of walking into a dugout, a locker room, a garage, or a living room and making it feel like the center of the world.

Ryan grew up in a time when neighbors were your best friends and stayed that way. Summers were spent at Sycamore Park, where his dad coached his little league teams and his mom was everybody's mom.

As a member of the Sycamore Class of 1991, and on his quest to earn Most Talkative, Ryan was a three-sport athlete: playing wide receiver, covering third base, and pulling down so many rebounds they nicknamed him Glass Plus. But as all former athletes attest, it was the locker room that brought him the most joy—the jokes before practice, the ribbing after losses, the way a team becomes a family when the scoreboard goes dark. For Ryan, the game was never just about points; it was about his team.

Ryan also grew up at Hill Heating, where he worked alongside his dad and learned the rhythms of construction life. The shop was its own kind of classroom—where lessons were delivered with a beer in your hand and your feet dangling over the workbench. Later, he would earn his communications degree through Kishwaukee Community College and Northern Illinois University.

Like all retired athletes in Sycamore, Ryan found his way to the 16-inch softball league—a gathering place for the town's old competitors. Stationed at first base, he was known for having the largest hands you've ever seen and, if legend serves, for never dropping a ball.

Yes, Ryan was built a guy's-guy, but he was placed into a life surrounded by beautiful women—a role that became his greatest joy and his proudest calling. From teaching his daughters to ski, to learning TikTok dances, to becoming the perfect canvas for their makeup practice sessions, Ryan wore the title girl dad with the same pride he once wore a jersey.

And beside him through it all was Kristin—his partner and devoted companion since 1997, the one with whom he built a family, a home, and a life that stretched nearly three decades and left its mark on everyone lucky enough to be part of it.

Ryan loved music—the lyrics, the stories, the way a song could carry you back. He believed in family, in dogs with big hearts and even bigger paws, in cheering the Sox and Bears no matter the heartbreak. He believed in showing up, because showing up was how you built community. His cackle—sharp, contagious—could be heard from the driveway, calling you up.

To spend time with Ryan was to be changed by him. His laugh, his smile, his way of sharing himself didn't stop with the moment—they passed through you, into your kids, into your neighbors, into the fabric of this place so many of us call home.

Ryan is survived by his wife, Kristin Kwiecinski Hill; his three daughters, Reese, Ella, and Kylan Hill; his parents, Donna and Dennis Hill; his parents-in-law, Rick and Linda Kwiecinski; his paternal grandmother, Deloris Hill; his sister Amanda Shea and her husband Michael Shea; his sisters-in-law Candice Kwiecinski and her wife Teresa Locascio; his nieces and nephews, Caden Carrier, Evyn Carrier, Brady Shea, Clare Shea, Quinn Carrier, and Presley Kwiecinski- Locascio; his godparents, Henry Burgweger and Janet and Glen Long; and his two beloved dogs, Kora and Nash. He was preceded in death by his paternal grandfather, Murel Hill; his maternal grandparents, Jeannette and Charles Lee; and his past rottweilers, Kasha and Kona.

Visitation will be held Thursday, September 18, at Butala Funeral Home in Sycamore from 4:00–8:00 p.m.

Funeral services are Friday, September 19, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Peter's Episcopal Church (218 Somonauk, Sycamore). A banquet follows at Regale Center (124 1/2 Center Avenue, Sycamore) from 1:00–4:00 p.m. The family welcomes guests to wear White Sox or Bears attire to honor Ryan at the Regale Center.

In lieu of flowers, memorials for Ryan can be made in care of the Butala Funeral Home, 1405 DeKalb Ave., Sycamore, IL 60178. Funds will be used to establish a scholarship in his name at Sycamore High School.

The family invites you to honor Ryan by showing up for someone: text a friend, spend time with a buddy, make room at your table. And if you can, wear a Sox cap and play your music a little too loud.

To sign the online guest book or share a special memory- go to www.ButalaFuneralHomes.com