Lani Lugene Hill, 70, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, went home to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on September 17, 2026.

Lani was born in 1956, in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, to Elwyn Gene Hill and Roberta Ann Hill. She grew up on the Hill family farms near Omega, Oklahoma, surrounded by the family, faith, heritage, and beauty of creation that she treasured throughout her life.

She attended Lomega Schools in Loyal and Omega from kindergarten through high school. She continued her education at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, where she earned a degree in home economics and art. During her college years, Lani shared her musical gifts by playing the piano and singing with the Missionaires and traveling choirs such as the Continental Singers throughout Oklahoma and surrounding states.

Lani's creativity, courage, and determination were evident early in her life. In the summer of 1978 and 1979, she traveled to Long Lake, Alaska, where she helped build a log home while creating some of her most cherished memories of adventures there. She later devoted herself to a career of teaching art in Vici, Weatherford, and Catoosa, Oklahoma, until her retirement. Lani was much more than an art teacher. She invested deeply in her students, celebrated their accomplishments, and faithfully walked beside many of them through personal and spiritual battles. She did not simply teach them how to create art; she helped them recognize the beauty, worth, and possibilities within themselves.

Lani could see what others could not. She loved taking what was considered the least, the discarded, the overlooked, or the forgotten and bringing it back to life. In her hands, ordinary and abandoned things were given new purpose and transformed into pieces of beauty. Her Tulsa home, filled with the remarkable art she created and carefully collected, became a work of art itself and a reflection of the way she saw the world.

Lani loved creating and building. She loved music, art, autumn, the mountains, wildlife, pets, all animals, gardening, and the outdoors. She was caring, loyal, patient, detailed, creative, and steadfast. She was a caregiver, an encourager, and an exceptionally thoughtful giver of gifts. She noticed people others might overlook, served those who were sick or forgotten, brought meals, taught children, carried burdens, and gave generously of herself.

Most of all, Lani loved her family. She was proud of her parents, her sister and brother, her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, and her nieces and nephews, whom she loved as her own. She spoke of them proudly and longed for the closeness, attention, and inclusion of her entire family. Lani loved deeply, deeply, deeply.

Lani grew up in the Methodist church in Kingfisher and was active in several churches throughout her life; blooming wherever she was planted. Her faith in Jesus Christ was not simply one part of her life; it was the foundation beneath it.

The words and Scriptures displayed throughout Lani's home revealed the convictions by which she lived: "Let your faith be bigger than your fear," "Be still, and know that I am God," and "Don't measure the success of your life by the harvest that you reap, but by the seeds that you sow."

Lani trusted God in the storm. She loved the people He had given her and remained faithful to what He had planted within her. She believed home was made sacred by love, family was both a gift and a responsibility, and Jesus was present even when He could not be seen. She measured life not by what she gathered, but by the love, beauty, faith, and hope she planted in others.

Lani is survived by her sister, Valerie, who lovingly and devotedly cared for her until the end; her brother-in-law, Mark, who was a steady and dependable presence in her life; her brother, Brian, who continually encouraged her to love herself, embrace life, give herself permission to have fun, and remember that God loved her completely just as she was; and her sister-in-law, Marla, who encouraged her, admired her work, and shared many spirited conversations with her. She is also survived by her beloved 5 nieces and 3 nephews, extended family members, former students, and dear friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Elwyn Gene and Roberta Ann Hill, who were her heroes, examples, encouragers, and two of her deepest and most enduring relationships. She was also preceded in death by her grandparents, Arthur and Pearl Murray and Wilbert and Ollie Hill. Lani loved them dearly, learned extensively from them, and cared deeply for them. Their greatest legacy to her-and the greatest legacy they taught her to pass to others-was faith in Jesus Christ.

A private family graveside service will be held at Kingfisher Cemetery to honor and remember Lani. Arrangements are being provided by Sanders Funeral Service of Kingfisher.

Lani's family grieves deeply, but not without hope. How fitting that her name, Lani, means "Heaven" in Hawaiian, because today we know she is in the best place she has ever been or could ever be-in the presence of her Heavenly Father and Jesus. She is whole, completely loved, and finally at home. She has been reunited with her parents, grandparents, other family members, and friends who placed their faith in Jesus and have gone home before her.

The woman who spent her life bringing overlooked and forgotten things back to life is now experiencing the fullness of eternal life herself. Lani lived by faith, created beauty, loved deeply, and remained steadfast through every storm. She was proud of her farming heritage and, perhaps without realizing it, became a farmer in her own right; sowing seeds of hope and love that will last for generations.