HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 49
(By Delegates Wooton, Moye, Susman, Mahan, Sumner and Frazier)
Commemorating the life of the Honorable Charles Berkley Lilly,
retired circuit court Judge, former member of the West
Virginia House of Delegates, civic leader, beloved husband and
father, and distinguished West Virginian.
Whereas, C. Berkley Lilly was born on January 10, 1923, at
Oxley, now Beaver, in Raleigh County to the late Zion Burkley and
Anna Shumate Lilly; and
Whereas, C. Berkley Lilly is survived by his beloved wife of
sixty-one years, Anna Lee Bowyer Lilly; two daughters, Ellen Lilly
File and her husband, Robert N. File, and Kerry Lilly Mullins and
her husband, Leslie J. Mullins; and four granddaughters, Sarah
Elizabeth File, Marjorie Anne Mullins, Lindsay Catherine File and
Laura Ellen File; and
Whereas, C. Berkley Lilly graduated from Nuttall High School,
obtained his B.A. degree from West Virginia Institute of
Technology, and obtained his LLB degree from the T.C. Williams
School of Law at the University of Richmond in 1947; and
Whereas, C. Berkley Lilly began his long legal career in
Beckley in 1947, first entering private practice and later serving as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of
West Virginia and as a police judge under three mayors in Beckley;
and
Whereas, C. Berkley Lilly was first elected to the West
Virginia House of Delegates from Raleigh County in 1960 and was
reelected in 1962; and
Whereas, After serving for four years as the prosecuting
attorney of Raleigh County, C. Berkley Lilly was elected Circuit
Judge for the 10th Judicial Circuit, Raleigh County, in 1968, 1976
and 1984; and
Whereas, Following his retirement in 1988 from the circuit
court bench, Judge Lilly continued his service to the court as a
Senior Status Judge and entered private practice with Gorman,
Sheatsley and Hutchison; and he was also certified as a mediator
and arbiter, work which he enjoyed well into his eighties; and
Whereas, Judge Lilly was active in the Raleigh County Bar
Association, the West Virginia State Bar, and the West Virginia
Judicial Association, holding all offices in both the Raleigh
County Bar and the Judicial Association, and serving on the Board
of Governors for the State Bar. He served as the president of the
West Virginia University College of Law Alumni Association, the
first nonalumnus so elected. Judge Lilly was also active in the
United Methodist Temple and civic affairs in the Beckley area; and
Whereas, The Honorable C. Berkley Lilly passed away on January 10, 2009, on his 86th birthday, leaving behind a rich legacy of
dedication and commitment to his family, community and state;
therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Delegates:
That the members of this body hereby express their profound
sadness at the passing of one of their own, the Honorable C.
Berkley Lilly, retired circuit court Judge, former member of the
West Virginia House of Delegates, civic leader, beloved husband and
father, and distinguished West Virginian; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the House hereby commemorates the life
of the Honorable C. Berkley Lilly, a good and decent man whose
unique abilities touched the lives of many West Virginians; and, be
it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk of House Delegates forward a
certified copy of this resolution to the family of the C. Berkley
Lilly, including his beloved wife, Anna Lee Bowyer Lilly, and his
two daughters, Ellen Lilly File and Kerry Lilly Mullins.
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