Lynton Aileen Sullivan Dilley

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Mrs. Lynton Aileen Sullivan Dilley, 96, died Wednesday, November 24, 2021, at The Magnolia at Oxford Commons in Oxford, MS.  The funeral service will be Tuesday, December 14, 2021, at 2:30 PM at First Presbyterian Church of Oxford with Rev. Barrett Milner and Rev. Margaret Burnett officiating.  Visitation will be prior to the service beginning at 1:00 PM in First Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall.  Burial will follow in St. Peter’s Cemetery.

Lynton Sullivan Dilley was born in Columbia, Missouri, to the late Lula Mae Hughes and Dr. Knowles Clark Sullivan. After spending her childhood in Columbia, she attended junior and senior high school in St. Louis, MO. After graduating from high school, she enrolled at Washington University in St. Louis where she graduated in 1946 with a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture.  Upon her graduation from Washington University, she was recognized for general excellence in architecture.  She later received her Master’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Mississippi.  Mrs. Dilley also pursued graduate studies in International Education at Kent State University as well as graduate studies in Early Childhood Education at Temple University and the University of Mississippi.

After teaching in the Oxford School District for five years, she accepted a position on the School of Education faculty in 1966.   She taught at Ole Miss for twenty-five years before retiring in 1991.  During her teaching career she authored four books and a number of journal articles.  She also conducted workshops, presented papers, and was an educational and playground design consultant.  In addition she traveled the world visiting schools and playgrounds in many countries on five continents.  She was always passionate about sharing with her social studies students at the University the knowledge she gleaned from her overseas experiences. Mrs. Dilley retired from Ole Miss as Assistant Professor of Elementary Education and Director of Field and Laboratory Experiences. After retiring, she edited a book written by her granddaughter Emily Dilley about the role Emily’s horses played in helping her deal with the challenges of cerebral palsy.

Mrs. Dilley was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Oxford. She was a member of and active in leadership roles of the Association for the Supervision of Curriculum Development, Association of Teacher Educators, Delta Kappa Gamma, Kappa Delta Pi, Mississippi Association for the Supervision of Curriculum Development, National Council for the Social Studies, and Phi Delta Kappa.  A gifted architect, she designed about twenty houses in Oxford and Water Valley prior to beginning her teaching career.

Mrs. Dilley was named Outstanding Teacher for the School of Education in 1976 and later established the Norman Edward and Lynton Sullivan Dilley Endowments for Museum Education and the Willie Price Lab School at the University of Mississippi.

In addition to her parents, Mrs. Dilley was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Norman Edward Dilley, and her daughter-in-law, Lisa Faye Dilley.She is survived by three sons, Larry Dilley and his wife Arlene of Oxford, MS, Jim Dilley of Memphis, TN, and John Dilley of Oxford, MS; four grandchildren, Scott Dilley and his wife Leanna of Montesano, WA, Sharon Burgess and her husband Ben of Russell Springs, KY, and Emily and Jennifer Dilley of Memphis, TN; three great-grandchildren, Savannah Dilley of Denver, CO, and Shelby and Knowles Dilley of Montesano, WA; one step-great-grandson, Gabriel Beyer of Montesano, WA.

Donations in Mrs. Dilley’s memory may be made to The University of Mississippi Foundation to benefit the Norman Edward and Lynton Sullivan Dilley Museum Education Endowment or The Norman Edward and Lynton Sullivan Dilley Endowment for the Willie Price Lab School, 406 University Avenue, Oxford, MS 38655 or umfoundation.givingfuel.com/nowandever, or Yocona Area Council Boy Scouts of America, 505 Air Park Road, Tupelo, MS 38801.