James Samuel Brill

James Samuel Brill
     James “Sam” Brill, of Marlinton, died at the Roanoke Memorial Hospital on Wednesday, February 23, 2005, after a short illness.
     He was born July 11, 1925, in Marlinton, son of the late Ira Donavan Brill and Mary Lura Moore Brill, the only son in a family with five girls.
     He is survived by his wife of nearly 55 years, Peggy Coleman Brill; four daughters, Jane Brill Hillock, of Detroit, MI, Amy Lynn Brill Cooper, of Chicago, IL, Julie Sue Brill Teixeira, of Boston, MA, Lee Ann Brill Byrd, of Washington, D.C.; two grandchildren; and two sisters, Frances Brill Eskridge, of Marlinton, and Milly Ann Brill, of Wynnewood, PA.
     He was preceded in death by a son, James Samuel Brill, II; his parents; three sisters, Margaret Brill Reinert, Sue Brill Stettler, and Lois Brill McElwee.
     Sam Brill was an active member of the Marlinton Lions Club, the Masonic Lodge, and spent many years working with the Pocahontas County Opera House Foundation. He served in the Army Air Force during World War II, graduated from West Virginia University in 1950, and worked for 17 years as a music teacher and band director for Marlinton High School. He then pursued his doctorate degree at the University of Southern California and worked in a number of positions at West Virginia Institute of Technology, retiring in 1987 as the Vice President for Academic Affairs. He and his wife returned to live in Marlinton in 1987.
     Throughout his life, Sam enjoyed hunting, fishing, golf and traveling, taking trips all over the country, Montana being a favorite spot.
     Funeral services were held Monday morning at the Marlinton United Methodist Church by the Rev. Betty Shields, with burial in Mountain View Cemetery.
     Memorial donations may be made to the Opera House Foundation, PO Box 282, Marlinton, WV 24954.