Belvedere

The youngest daughter of Captain Edward Irving Veitch USN and Marie Beatrice Morledge, Doryce Lorillard Veitch joined her sisters, Ardagh Marie (Kistler) and Nancy (DeHerrera), on January 22, 1925, beginning her life in the rolling hills of the East Bay.

Her childhood was filled with adventure: swimming in SF Bay off her father’s yacht, the Arequipa, flying in his airplane, and vacationing in the distant Santa Cruz mountains at Ben Lomond. Growing up and throughout their lives, the three girls were collectively known as the glamorous Veitch sisters. At home in Piedmont, Doryce and her beloved sisters enjoyed the company of Great Danes, one of which was drafted into the US Coast Guard during WWII. Weeks prior to Pearl Harbor attack, the Veitch daughters and their mother were vacationing in the Hawaiian Islands in Honolulu. Luckily, they received a warning to head home across the ocean immediately, which they wisely heeded thus avoiding the tragedy.

As a young woman, Doryce attended UC Berkeley along with her future husband, Herbert Hills Jr. The couple wed in 1946 following Herbert’s return from WWII. They made their first home near Mt. Diablo, thereafter, returning to Piedmont. Here, they raised four children in a lovely home on Requa Rd. Their home served as a remarkable location for many parties and weddings of the era. During these years, besides being a wonderful wife and adoring mother, Doryce was active with her many friends in the Junior League and the Piedmont Garden Club.

In the later 1970s, Doryce moved to Belvedere in Marin County. Over many years, Doryce was well known for her vibrant garden boxes, filled with pelargoniums, pansies and roses. The well-tended flowers overflowed with color which was highly visible in Belvedere Cove.

During her years in Belvedere, she was instrumental in the successful management and operations of the Bollibokka Club. Her efforts helped preserve the pristine fly fishing waters of the McCloud River in Northern California. Doryce loved the rugged mountains, ice-cold river, and remoteness. She thoughtfully enhanced and built rustic lodges for the enjoyment of family and guests of the world class fishing venue.

In her later years, after meeting Don Wells, the two of them traveled the world together. Doryce’s life was characterized by her profound love of nature, particularly her passion for flowers. Her garden at their summer home in Sonoma County became a cherished spot for both Doryce and Don.

Her overt kindness and generosity towards friends, neighbors, and family were widely recognized and appreciated. She loved to give boxes of See’s Candies. Doryce was always beautiful and elegant in her appearance and her loving smile, wit and sense of humor will be greatly missed by all who knew her. A remarkable one-of-a-kind woman, she lived with gratitude and graciousness for her many blessings.

Doryce is survived by her children, Gray Hills, Blair Hills, Leighton Hills, and Leia Simmons, her grandchildren, Teiya Gleason, Tio Simmons, Gage Hills, Mignon Parsons and her great-grandchildren, Devin and Brooks Gleason, Madeleine Hills, Coralie and Aza Parsons. Doryce was preceded in death by her grandson, Taylor Hills and son-in-law, Stan Simmons.

Sadly, Doryce left us on December 27, 2024 at the age of ninety-nine years, her long life well lived.