Hilda Hill Pate Messick

Hilda Grace Hill Pate Messick, of Winston-Salem, died February 17, 2025, surrounded by her loving family.

She was born on January 4, 1942, in Jones Co., NC to the late Veora Thigpen Hill and Ira Dudley Hill. Hilda grew up as the eldest daughter in a family of 7. She attended public schools in Havelock, NC, and graduated from Havelock High School in 1960. She graduated at the top of her class from the Lenoir Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in Kinston, NC in 1963. Hilda completed the Family Nurse Practitioner program at UNC- Chapel Hill in 1975 and graduated from UNC- Greensboro with a BS in Nursing in 1987. Hilda finished her education in 1997, obtaining a master’s degree in nursing from UNC-Greensboro. Hilda worked as a Family Nurse Practitioner at Winston-Salem Healthcare Plan from 1976 until her retirement in 2013 at age 71. Her passion for education was instilled throughout our family and she supported and encouraged each of us to pursue education and training in a field we loved.

Whether we knew her as Mom, Hildie, Gammy, or Gammie, she showed us unconditional love and taught us about respect, kindness, generosity, and compassion. She showed off her sewing skills with a variety of homemade dresses, pajamas, curtains and pillows over the years, usually crafted in her sewing room while listening to NPR or Willie Nelson. She was an avid reader, a fantastic cook who loved to bake cakes, pies, and breads, a passionate Democrat, and she loved searching for bargains at her favorite consignment shops. She and her husband Bob loved camping, traveling, and working in their yard together. Some of our family’s favorite memories were created at their home, whether celebrating the holidays together, enjoying her wonderful cooking, traipsing through the woods, wading in the creek, or swinging on the tire swing. She will be forever loved and forever missed.

In addition to her parents, Hilda was preceded in death by her husband of 35 years, Bobby Messick; and her brother, Thomas Jefferson Hill.

She is survived by her daughters from her first marriage to Robert Pate, Karen Pate Kolcusky (Wayne), of Harrisburg, NC, and Jennifer Pate Snead of Raleigh, NC; grandchildren, Katie Kolcusky (fiancé, Coleman Cheeley) of Reston, VA, Matthew Kolcusky of Harrisburg, NC, and Sophie Snead of Wrightsville Beach, NC, and her siblings Charles Hill (Dixie), Evelyn Hill Shelton (Jerry), Richard Hill (Sandy), Ronald Hill (Maryann), Anna Hill Shuck (Dave), and a host of nieces, nephews, and cousins.

She is also survived by the family she adopted with her marriage to Bob on June 18, 1988: stepchildren, Robin Messick Manuel (Les) of Kernersville, Kathy Messick Guyer-Martin (Joe) of Madison, and Jody Messick (Trina) of Belmont, NC; grandchildren, Megan Manuel Cole (Matt), Rachel Manuel O’Hara (Michael), Jessica Guyer Flynt (Kevin), Kathryn Guyer-Clark (Ryan), Amber Messick Karr (Wes), and Jamey Messick (Brooke); and great-grandchildren, Makenzie Karr, Noah Karr, Easton Messick, Mikey Guyer-Clark, Sofia Cole, and Colin O’Hara.

A memorial service will be held at 12:00 PM on Thursday, February 27, 2025, at Hayworth-Miller Silas Creek Chapel, with Chaplain Hunter Thompson officiating. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to Hilda’s beloved local NPR station, WFDD, at wfdd.org, or to Ancora Compassionate Care, PO Box 281, Wentworth, NC 27375.