Iris Jeannette Dillard's Obituary
Iris Jeannette Dillard entered into well-earned rest on March 11, 2024, passing peacefully in her sleep at home in Leesburg, VA. A native of Atlanta, GA and a child of the Great Depression, she inherited a wonderful sense of humor from her parents, John R. and Ira Dominey which she and her husband, the late W.F. Dillard, Jr. passed along to their daughters who survive them: Kay Dillard of Mt. Pleasant, SC and Phoebe Rist (Mark) of Leesburg, VA. Her surviving grandchildren are Erin Corder (Ryan) of Mt. Pleasant, SC, Emily Stibbards (Andrew) of Aurora, CO, Sophie Dillard of Philadelphia, PA, and Elisha Rist (Brielle) of Leesburg, VA. Her great grandchildren who will miss the gift of ever knowing her well are Levi, Eden, Flora, and MacKenzie. We were blessed by her life and are grateful beyond words for the care and thoughtfulness with which she approached the role of mother.
Before graduating in 1947 from Girls High in Atlanta, Iris (Jeanny as she was known then) played the French horn in the school orchestra and was eventually selected as a founding member of the Atlanta Youth Symphony. Interrupting her college education to begin a family, she returned to academia at the age of 50, earning Bachelor of Arts degrees in History and in English, becoming Valedictorian of her 1983 class at what was then Augusta College. Later she earned a Master of Arts in English from the University of South Carolina and taught English for ten years at Westminster Schools of Augusta. She was a gifted teacher, having a special place in her heart for those who struggled most as well as delighting in her AP students.
A past Worthy Matron of the Augusta Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star and past Mother Advisor for the Order of the Rainbow for Girls, Iris had a heart for service, using her gifts for flower arranging, creative arts, writing, and sewing to bless the church she attended as well as filling the role of Costume Mistress for The Augusta Players for several years. For years she enjoyed creating high-quality decoupage and won a blue ribbon for her decoupaged dulcimer in a national show sponsored by Patricia Nimocks. Her true calling, however, was teaching. She was a very active member of Fleming Baptist Church, Augusta, for many years, later joining First Presbyterian Church of Augusta and most recently attending Potomac Hills Presbyterian Church in Leesburg, VA where she lived nearly seventeen years, teaching a Bible study at the Leesburg Senior Center.
She and her late husband, Fielding, had been active members of the Augusta Camp of The Gideons, International and were past presidents of the Women's Auxiliary and the Camp, respectively. Memorial gifts to The Gideons International are welcome. Her remains will be interred in the Stanley Family Cemetery in Dublin, GA at a future date.
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