Eldan Lorin Hill

Eldan Lorin Hill, 80, of Holladay, UT, passed away peacefully at his cabin in Idaho on March 8th, 2024, with his beloved wife Shellie (Tate) and son Kyle at his side.

Eldan and Shellie married on March 9th, 1968, in Tooele, UT where they were both raised.  They had two sons, Kyle and Adam, and bought their first home in Tooele and resided there until 1979.  Work took Eldan and the family to Rock Springs, WY then Ogden, UT before settling in Layton, UT where they lived until both sons graduated high school.  Eldan worked at Great Salt Lake Minerals for many years before becoming a minority partner in Summit Valley Equipment & Engineering in 1996.  While at Summit Valley, Eldan was instrumental in creating the industry’s highest capacity electrowinning cell used in precious metals recovery.  Eldan traveled the world overseeing the design, fabrication and installation of modular plants and equipment used for the extraction of gold and silver.  In 2002, Eldan purchased the majority interest in Summit Valley.  In 2009, Eldan sold Summit Valley to FLSmidth.  Eldan retired in 2011.

Eldan, the youngest of five children, was born on September 27th, 1943, to Russell Dell and Elda La Rene (Stevens) Hill, in Driggs, Idaho. His Mother Elda, died of complications from His birth and His Father died three weeks before Eldan’s first birthday.  He was raised by his uncle and aunt, Paul Thomas and Emma Noeleen (Hill) as well as his Grandma Hill who came to live with Eldan.  He loved sports from an early age, participating in baseball, basketball and tennis on high school teams.  He graduated from Tooele High School in 1961 and went on to major in mechanical engineering at the University of Utah while working at National Lead.  He joined the Army Reserves and was honorably discharged in 1971.  Always mechanically inclined, Eldan started working on cars well before he had a driver’s license.  At 14 years old he began driving himself to school in a Ford Model A he restored.  Eldan managed the local Tooele bowling alley for many years until Kyle was born.  In these early married years, Eldan and Shellie loved to race cars and had a series of late model sports cars and earned many trophies!

Eldan was an engineer by both personality and profession.  He constantly sought the optimal solution for any issue or problem.  He could speak passionately about problems that he had solved and clever solutions he had devised.  He often foresaw issues and already had a solution or philosophy prepared.  His career took him to Ghana, Turkey, and Venezuela to name just a few countries where Summit Valley operated.  

Eldan’s real passion was his family.  Eldan loved Shellie deeply and they were true partners for 56 years.  With their children and grandchildren present, they renewed their vows on the beach in Turks & Caicos in 2012. He was always present but never overbearing.  He nearly never missed a son’s practice much less a game.  He loved to teach and coach and was a master of the technical and mechanical aspects of any sporting discipline.  Eldan was also a master motivator who knew how to tailor his coaching to each athlete to extract the best performance.  He was often sought out by other parents and athletes for one-on-one coaching.

Eldan was a member of B.P.O.E. (Elks) for over 50 years.  He served as the Exalted Ruler of the Tooele Lodge and as a District Deputy for the State of Utah.  Through the Elks, Eldan was instrumental in securing the land for Camp Wapiti, a summer camp for medically challenged children, while serving as Major Projects Chairman. Eldan was a passionate supporter of both the West Valley City Honorary Colonels, serving as President in 2016, and the Salt Lake Honorary Colonels. Eldan maintained his love of sports until his last breath.  He played golf several times a week, almost always with his close friends in Tooele, friendships dating back over 60 years.  He was an avid University of Utah Utes fan and Crimson Club donor, rarely missing a home football or basketball game and attending most championship football games and bowl games over the last 20 years.

Family Who Went Before

Eldan was predeceased by mother Elda La Rene (Stevens) Hill, who died September 27th, 1943, by father Russell Dell Hill, who died September 3rd, 1944, and by grandmother Ann Teonora Lambert (Waddell) Hill, who died July 7th, 1958.  Eldan was also predeceased by uncle Thomas Paul Thomas, who died June 29, 1986, by aunt Emma Noeleen (Hill) Thomas, who died August 14th, 1991.  Eldan was also predeceased by his two older brothers, Nathan Dean Hill, who died January 24th, 2016 and Russell Kay Hill, who died November 12th, 2020.

Family He Left Behind

He is survived by wife Shellie (Tate) Hill, son Kyle T Hill (Jessica Thamert), granddaughters Tate Madalena Hill, Toryn Ella Hill, grandson Ryder Adam Hill, and son Adam Dean Hill (Natalie Smith), grandson Daxton Adam Hill, granddaughters Tenley Mae Hill, Addison Rae Hill.

Friends and family are invited to a celebration of Eldan’s life on March 16th, 2024 from 5-7 PM at Starks Funeral Parlor, 3651 South 900 East, Salt Lake City, UT.  Hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be served. Dress is casual and we invite any fan of the Utes to wear University of Utah attire. Go Utes!

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Utah Food Bank using the “Donate” button above.