Obituary of Tom Lilly:

Leighton Thompson “Tom” Lilly, 81, went to be with the Lord on February 23, 2023, in St. Mary’s Medical Center. A Huntington native, Tom was born to Lothair Leighton and Nell Wray Lilly in August 1941. A member of the Huntington YMCA Youth Leadership Corps in the 1950s, Tom graduated from Huntington High School (’59) and attended West Virginia and Marshall before graduating from WVU in 1965 with a BS in Electrical Engineering. In 1960 he married his high-school sweetheart and wife of 62 years, Marilyn of Huntington.

Tom was preceded in death by his sister Linda Hayes, daughter Laura, and his parents. He is survived by his wife Marilyn; sons, James Lilly of Maryland, Andrew Lilly of Huntington, and Rev. Thomas Lilly (Robert Geils) of West Chester, PA; grandsons Grant Lilly, Drew Lilly, Tyler Lilly, Mason Lilly, and Nathan Lilly; nieces Catherine Anderson, Lynn Taylor, and Margaret Robateau (and their families); lifelong friends Jerry Schroyer, Barney Davis, Ginny Davidson, and Sue Woods; and first cousins Creigh Pemberton, Kathy Henriksen, and Bill Thompson.

Tom had a natural gift for sales - first shown at age four when he sold a three-day old newspaper to a neighbor - so no one was surprised when he joined Monongahela Power Company as a power salesman upon graduation from WVU. Most unusual among his sales at Mon Power included convincing a coal mine owner to replace his donkeys with an electric powered system. In 1969 Tom joined his father’s firm, Lilly Electrical Sales and Engineering and moved back to Huntington, where in 1993 he co-founded Lighting Sales Associates. In 2007 he retired as owner of both businesses, where he designed and sold commercial lighting solutions and was a respected expert in sports lighting. A proud licensed Professional Engineer in West Virginia and Virginia, he was a long-time member and served as President of the Huntington Chapter of the National Society of Professional Engineers, and held memberships in the Engineers Club of Huntington, IEEE, and Rotary International.

Tom enjoyed time with family and friends, active membership at Enslow Park Presbyterian Church, bass fishing at the family’s cabin on the New River at Sandstone Falls near Hinton, watching sports on television, attending Marshall football and basketball games since the 1950s, and supporting the Herd through the Big Green Foundation.

Friends and family are invited to attend a visitation Tuesday, February 28th, 5-7 pm, at Klingel-Carpenter Mortuary, and the Celebration of Life Service at 1 pm, March 1st at Enslow Park Presbyterian Church (EPPC) immediately followed by interment at Woodmere Memorial Park. Those wishing to remember Tom may do so with a gift to the Hinton (WV) Foundation, EPPC, or the American Heart Association. Klingel-Carpenter Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.