Walter N. Hill of Tamaqua will celebrate his 99th birthday on Monday. He was born in Philadelphia on July 21, 1915, the son of Joseph and Alma Hill.

After graduating from Wheaton College in Illinois and Eastern Baptist Seminary in Pennsylvania, he became a Baptist minister and preached for almost 75 years.He was married to his wife, Rita, for 64 years. Rita died at age 88 on Nov. 2, 2006. Walter married Catherine Shutters in October of 2008.Walter has three daughters: Judy, married to Stan Holloway of New Ringgold; Joy, married to Al Cheese of Hampstead, North Carolina; and Janet Hill-Getz of Bloomington, Illinois.They have four grandsons.Josh Holloway of Cliff Island, Maine, is married to Heidi and they have two sons, Kai and Cove.Zach Cheese of Mechanicsburg is married to Erica and they have two daughters, Kenzie and Hadley.Grandsons Nick and Louis Getz live in Bloomington.In addition, Walter has two step-grandchildren, Todd Cheese of Andreas, married to Stacey, and Sheila Cheese of Ocala, Florida.Walter and Catherine attend Christ Evangelical Free Church in Lehighton.Walter is probably the oldest living Eagle Scout in Schuylkill County. He enjoys reading, playing chess, and, until just a couple of years ago, playing golf.