Lillian Jane Waugh, 77, of Morgantown, passed away peacefully on Monday, Oct. 8, 2018 at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital. Her husband and daughter were at her side. Per her wishes, her body was cremated.
Lillian was born in Lewiston, Maine, the daughter of the late Robert and Florene Waugh. Significantly premature and weighing less than three pounds, she was not expected to survive, but immediately showed the indomitable spirit that would become familiar to all who knew her.
Lillian and her identical twin Lucille were dominant scholars and basketball players at Berlin (N.H.) High School. She attended college at Colby College, in Waterville, Maine, where she received a BA in History. She then attended Bowling Green State University, in Bowling Green, Ohio, obtaining an MA in History. She taught history at Parsons College, in Fairfield, Iowa, for three years before entering the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, earning a Ph.D. in history. A gifted linguist, she spoke fluent French and passable Russian.
She and her husband moved to Morgantown in 1973. In Morgantown, she cofounded both the local chapter of the National Organization for Women and Rape Information Services (now RDVIC), the first rape and domestic violence crisis shelter in West Virginia. She later became an early employee of the Center for Women’s Studies (now Women’s and Gender Studies) at WVU. As an administrator and adjunct faculty member she was instrumental in building this program. She particularly enjoyed her work leading the WVU Women’s Centenary project in 1991, researching and celebrating the hundredth anniversary of the first female students at WVU. She won the Mary Catherine Buswell award for this work.
She was a lifelong cello player, playing with the WVU Symphony in the 1970s, and the WVU Community Arts Orchestra for the past 25 years, where she was the first chair cellist. She enthusiastically attended the Cellospeak summer workshops in Bryn Mawr, Pa., for many years.
Always highly athletic, she discovered yoga in the 1990s, and was enthusiastically devoted to her practice, and to helping other students at the Inner Life Yoga Studio.
She is survived by her loving husband of 46 years, David Yelton; her twin sister, Lucille Waugh, of Medford, Mass.; her sister and brother-in-law, Lori and Don Harris, of Brunswick, Maine; her daughter, Andromeda Yelton, son-in-law Grant Gould, and granddaughter, Verity, of Somerville, Mass.; as well as several nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Lillian’s life will be held at the Pines Country Club from 3 – 5 p.m. on Saturday, November 3.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to RDVIC; Colby College; the WVU Center for Women’s and Gender Studies; Cellospeak; or your local food pantry.
Condolences: hastingsfuneralhome.com.
