Sabine Index, Many, La., March 25, 1998

Sibyl Geoghagan Lilley, of Natchitoches died Friday, March 20.  Funeral services were held at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 22 at First Baptist Church of Florien.  Burial followed at Union Cemetery.  Services were under the diretion of Warren Meadows Funeral Home.

NOTES:

Mrs. Lilley's gravemarker reflects her motto to be II Timothy 2:15 which states, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."  Beneath that is engraved "Taught school for over 40 years".

My (Bill Holly) memory:

I can never think of Mrs. Lilley without remembering the time she charged down the aisle at NHS, about 1957 or 1958, during the noon assembly program when the cheerleaders were doing the cheer, "what's the matter, can't you take it, can't you Louisiana shake it, can't you boogie to the left, can't you boogie to the right, can't you yeah team, say team, fight, fight, fight".  She shut the cheer down and gave the whole student body a sermon right there.  Years later I lamented the lack of such teachers when an assembly program at our daughter's Texas junior high school failed to generate any action by the faculty when the group presenting the program sang a song advocating the use of cocaine.  When some of the junior high faculty, teachers and assistant principal, were questioned about the lack of action on their part the response was, "the kids would have rioted".  Later that week when a prayer was offered in our church for the school administration, the school superintendent and his wife were offended by the prayer.  Sad!