Neil Hill was almost as permanent a fixture in the heart of Buford as the railroad tracks that run through the middle of the town. From 1957 to 1999, his customers could count on the good-natured grocer welcoming them heartily inside his store and inquiring about their families.
"Neil's grocery was like the old country stores of years ago; only you could find just about everything you wanted at his place," said Charlotte Duncan of Buford, a family friend. "Neil would be there to greet you just about all the time, except maybe for early mornings when he went to market to buy fresh produce."
W. Neil Hill, 76, of Buford, died Thursday at Landmark Hospital, Athens, of complications resulting from an infection. His funeral is at 2 p.m. today at Flanagan Funeral Home, Buford, with interment to follow in Broadlawn Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the building fund of the First Baptist Church of Buford.
Mr. Hill's Buford grocery was one of three bearing the name Hill Brothers Grocery Stores. His late brother, Edward Hill, operated the other two, in Dacula and Lawrenceville.
"Neil had a tremendous customer base here," said Jan Wells of Buford, executive vice president of Peoples Bank & Trust. "His business seemed hard times-proof."
Mr. Hill's grocery was a good place to go for bargains. "Neil sold canned and boxed goods with slight imperfections at a discount. Neil had a big heart -- for customers who were having financial problems, he'd arrange even deeper discounts," Ms. Wells said.
"There's another thing he would do that most retailers don't do any longer; he'd take payroll checks in payment for groceries and give his customers the change," she added.
Mr. Hill reserved one corner of his store for specialty items. "You never knew what to expect there," Ms. Wells said. "One week it might be slightly dented appliances; a week or so later it would be some other bargain Neil had found. I once bought a washer and dryer from Neil's specialty corner."
David Hill of Buford said his father started the salvage end of his business in the 1960s. Back then his major supplier of slightly damaged goods was Southern Railway. Later it became Kroger. "After we sold the grocery in 1999," David Hill said, we continued buying salvage merchandise in bulk and reselling it to outlets in surrounding states."
Luke and Peggy Garrett of Between, who supplied Mr. Hill's grocery with eggs for 20 years, were as appreciative of him as his customers.
"Neil was just a pleasure to do business with, a true square-dealer," Mr. Garrett said.
"He was always jolly," Mrs. Garrett said. "When you were down, he would lift you up with a funny story."
Mr. Hill's business was a six-days-a-week commitment most of the time. In his limited leisure hours, he enjoyed fishing, watching Wild West movies and rooting for the Atlanta Braves.
Survivors also include his wife, Linda Hill; a daughter, Lynn Hannah of Buford; a brother, Hugh Hill of Dacula, and three grandchildren.
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