Wilma Leonora Dillard

Wilma Leonora Dillard (née Hall), age 92, passed away on March 28, 2025, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Born on July 24, 1932, in Helper, Utah, Wilma’s life was defined by resilience and a spirit of adventure.

She was the fifth of six children born to Claude Hall, a coal miner and card dealer, and Velma Hall (née Cothran). Her early years in Utah were shaped by a rugged landscape and the strong bonds of a large family. Wilma later attended Heavener Junior High School in Oklahoma and graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco, California—an early milestone in her wide-ranging journey.

Wilma pursued an unconventional and varied career path. She worked as an usher in a movie theater, a bank teller in Texas, and served as a cook aboard a tramp fishing boat in the South China Sea. Later in life, she applied her boldness and insight to real estate speculation.

A gifted storyteller, Wilma captured her many experiences through writing. Her stories reflected the diverse places she traveled and the people and animals who became part of her life. Her vivid imagination and fearless spirit left lasting impressions on those who knew her.

Wilma was preceded in death by her husband of fifty-five years, Benjamin Augustus Dillard; her parents; her brothers Lester Lafayette Hall, Claude Jr. Hall, and Floyd Allen Hall; and her youngest sister, Loretta Mae Hall Kuriscak. She also mourned many beloved pet dogs and cats over the years.

She is survived by her oldest sister and only surviving sibling, Verna Hutchinson, and is fondly remembered by those whose lives she touched through friendship, family ties, or shared experiences.

May her memory bring comfort and inspiration to all who knew her.