“There was a star danced, and under that I was born.”

Morton Anthony Hill was born and died in St. Louis, Missouri. For 75 years, from July 4th, 1951 to October 7th, 2026, Mort shined bright like a diamond.

Mort’s parents, Maynard and Patricia, predeceased him. He departs from five siblings: Holly Schaumberger (Richard), Susan Mosley, Mary Christine Burke (Michael), James Maynard (Kristi Pfister), Caroline Wurm (Phillip), and fifteen nieces and nephews, seventeen greats, countless cousins, and hundreds of friends.

Mort always pursued the arts. He helped establish the Studio Arts department at SLUH, and earned a B.A. from Webster University in studio art. Mort studied and produced film and video through Third World Studios in Manhattan and Double Helix in St. Louis. He worked in numerous newspaper, magazine, film, stage, and television productions. Mort was an accomplished painter, ceramicist, sculptor, mosaicist, and jeweler. Mort was a singer, performer, and raconteur extraordinaire. Mort loved country, soul, rock and roll. Mort Rocked!

Mort balanced his arts with a generosity of spirit. His love of family and friends generated raucous audiences that shared a passion for the visual arts, stage performances, and socializing. He also remained grounded and earthy. Mort’s green thumb nurtured prodigious gardens. Visit Mort and he might give you a punk haircut, chart your astrological stars, or go dig for rock fossils in the dirt. He was unafraid to get down to the nitty gritty, and explore the mystery and pride of his Arco neighborhood. His home was a go-to destination, a salon, a crossroads for art and artists.

Constricted with polio at age three, Mort wore a leg brace his entire life. His dignified struggles with a permanent disability altered his world, and the worlds of those in his life. The physical and visual handicaps he endured served to remind us all that empathy, compassion, and humility are paramount to love.

We were all touched by Mort in different ways, and the creative forces he instilled in us are universal and will endure.

Mort embraced the mystery and faith of Catholic religion and ritual. He was a congregant of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. A Memorial Mass will be held at the Old St. Ferdinand Shrine in Florissant, Missouri on November 7, 2026 at 11:00 am. Mort will be interred at the family grave in St. Ferdinand Cemetery.