Courtland Lilley Death, Obituary – On the morning of Thanksgiving, our JMB faculty member Courtland Lilley, who is very highly liked by his fellow students, suffered a major heart attack. After struggling with the illness for a number of days, he lost his fight for life early on Saturday morning, December 3, 2012, and passed away. It is with the utmost regret that we have to pass on this information to you, but we cannot change the current state of affairs. Please accept our sincere apologies for any trouble this may create. Mr. Lilley has come to the conclusion that it is in his best interest to seek other professional opportunities and will thus resign from his position as a teacher at James M. Bennett High School in 2021.
He has held this position for more than three decades. He is going to maintain his position as a teacher at the institution right up until that time comes. During his time at JMB, he not only instructed classes in Industrial Arts/Technology Education, but he also left an indelible mark on the lives of a great number of students by displaying a genuine interest in them, demonstrating kindness and empathy toward everyone, and imparting his vast store of knowledge to whoever he came into contact with. This was all accomplished during his time at JMB. Everything was completed by him while he was working at JMB. While he was employed at JMB, he was responsible for everything that was accomplished there.
After gaining experience in industrial arts and technology, he moved on to have a prosperous career in the field of teaching. He was considerate, tolerant, and imaginative, and he was always prepared with words of encouragement for people who were in close proximity to him. Those who were in close proximity to him could always count on him to have words of encouragement ready and waiting for them.
Everyone who was ever exposed to him discovered fresh inspiration in their lives as a result of their interaction with him. Everyone in the JMB community, including himself, his pupils, and his staff, counted themselves among the extraordinarily lucky people to have him serving as a teacher. He served as an outstanding example for each and every one of them. Everyone who was a part of the JMB community felt that they were among the people who were extraordinarily privileged to have him. Already, Mr. Lilley, those who are closest to you are acutely aware of the void that will be created as a direct result of your departure, and they are concerned about how it will be filled.