Santa Fe police Officer Jason Hill, 39, died Saturday at Baylor University Hospital in Dallas from complications due to the H1N1 virus and an acute form of leukemia, said Santa Fe Police Chief Aric Wheeler.

Hill was diagnosed with leukemia in August 2008 after going to the doctor for back problems. Doctors gave him three months to live, but after extensive treatments, including a bone marrow transplant, Hill had been told by doctors this past April that his leukemia was in remission.

However, Wheeler said, the leukemia returned in October, and Hill's health had "steadily been declining since." He said Hill had been diagnosed with the H1N1 virus, pneumonia and bronchitis at that time.

Hill began his service career as a firefighter in Los Alamos. He then moved on to work for the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department. Sheriff Greg Solano said Hill was one of the better deputies to come through his office.

"He really cared a lot about the community, and I believe that's why he became an officer," Solano said in a phone interview Saturday. "He was one of my best deputies. He really cared about being an officer. It was more than just a job to him."

Solano described Hill as a polite person who "kept it cool" no matter what happened.

"We not only lost a great officer, but we lost a great person," Solano said. "It's hard to come by public servants that care like he did."

Wheeler agreed.

"He was a wonderful person, a giving person," Wheeler said. "I think it's a loss that will impact us all. You don't find enough police officers like him. As a person, he was outgoing and super involved in the community. He was willing to give the shirt off his back to anybody in the community at any time. He was a top-notch police officer. The pride and honor he brought to the Santa Fe Police Department — I don't know how we'll ever replace that."

Hill is survived by his wife, Annemarie Hill, and his children Breanna, Elizabethanne, Jordann and Tyler.

Services are pending.

Contact Ana Maria Trujillo at 986-3084 or atrujillo@sfnewmexican.com.