Obituary of Henry Sills

Our special beloved Henry Sills peacefully passed away at the venerable age of 94, on November 30th, 2021. Affectionately known as ‘Handsome,’ Henry was born on June 2nd, 1927, in Waynesboro, GA to the late Reverend Prince and Lillian Sills. He was the sixth of seven children. Henry was educated in the Savannah, GA school system during the Jim Crow Era. During the Reconstruction Era, his family relocated to Brooklyn, New York, where at the ripe age of 25, he was drafted into the United States Army. He traveled all over the world as a proud soldier. In 1946, he served as a member of the first Black Honor Guard, who were charged with protecting Adolf Hitler’s mansion from being destroyed. Furthermore, he fought in the Korean war in the early 1950s. Committed to serving his country, Henry quickly moved up the ranks to become Platoon Sergeant E8 and then Senior Infantry Sergeant. He led his platoon, the 9th Infantry Division, in the Vietnam War over South Vietnam, implementing various strategic operations to defeat the Viet Cong. In 1971, he received an honorable discharge, retiring as an E8 Master Sergeant. A highly accomplished soldier, Henry received the following awards and accolades during his career: National Defense Service Medal, God Conduct Medal , Expert and Combat Infantry Badge, Army of Occupation Medal (AOM) Germany, AOM Berlin , Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, 4 Years Overseas Bars, Army Commendation Medal (ARCOM), Bronze Star Medal, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm and a Purple Heart. He became employed as a letter carrier for the US Post Office in Camden, New Jersey, in 1973, where he was a committed employee for 20 years. In 1974, Henry met the love of his life, Patricia Slater, in Queens, New York at a cookout. They dated and got married in April of 1975, moving from New York to Edgewater Park, New Jersey. They had the apple of both their eyes, Deserie, in 1976. The three of them exemplified the epitome of an unbreakable, loving family unit. Retiring in 1992 from the Post Office, he started a career as a bus driver for Laidlaw Bus Company where he served for 16 years. Accepting Jesus at an early age, Henry was a faithful TV member of The Crenshaw Christian Center in Los Angeles, CA, under the direction of Reverend Frederick K. C. Price. Henry loved bowling, photography, collecting coins and stamps, but most importantly being a dad to Deserie, husband to Patricia and supporting and giving back to different family members. Henry was preceded in death by his loving and devoted wife of 46 years, Patricia Sills, 6 months ago, brothers Frank, Thomas, Clinton, and May and two other siblings who passed before he was born. He leaves to cherish his memory his loving and devoted daughter Deserie Hill, #1 son-in-law Michael Hill, step grandson Michael Hill Jr., grand dog Sasha, sister-in-law Easter Q Sills, Nancy Jones-Handford, Brenda Williams, Yvonne Randolph and Reggie (Maureen) Randolph, special nephew Prince Tony Sills, Cousin Jackie Stanfield and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.