John Lilly, the man dubbed “our walking encyclopedia and dictionary,” was born Jan. 2, 1934, to Frances C. and Martin L. Lilly in Boone County, W.Va.
Coming from the one-room Pleasant Hill School taught by his mother, he became the St. Albans (W.Va.) High School 1951 valedictorian and class president, and also was football team co-captain and quarterback. An Eagle Scout and winner of a Princeton scholarship, John first joined the Air Force and then the Army, becoming a Green Beret medic. John spent two years at Princeton (1951-1953), eventually graduating from West Virginia State University with a major in mathematics. Because he enjoyed surveying, he became a civil engineer.
A past master of the Washington Masonic Lodge, John began as a member of the Scottish Rite Bodies and Beni Kedem, then joined St. Andrew United Methodist Church. Most of all John wanted to be known as someone who was fond of his pets, and loved and was grateful for his family.
John died Nov. 22, 2008, in Hubbard Hospice House in Charleston, W.Va. He is survived by his brother, Luther, and his sisters, Elizabeth LonderTe and Mary Lou Lillie, and their spouses and children.