LILA HOBSON STEARNS WAS BORN ON SEPTEMBER 23, 1922 IN BELOIT, WISCONSIN TO MAGGIE JANE AND CHESTER HOBSON. SHE WAS THE FIRST, AND SOLE SURVIVOR, OF FOUR CHILDREN – LILA, HORACE, DORIS AND CHESTER, JR.

AT AN EARLY AGE, SHE JOINED THE SECOND UNITED METHODIST CHURCH IN BELOIT, WISCONSIN, AND WORKED DILIGENTLY IN THE CHURCH.SHE SANG WITH THE CHOIR, PLAYED THE PIANO FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL, AND WAS A MEMBER OF SEVERAL YOUTH AUXILIARIES.

LILA WAS AN INTELLIGENT YOUNG WOMAN. SHE GRADUATED FOURTH IN HER CLASS OF 365 STUDENTS FROM BELOIT HIGH SCHOOL. THAT ACCOMPLISHMENT WAS TRULY REMARKABLE, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE FACT THAT DURING THAT TIME, THERE WERE ONLY FOUR AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS IN HER CLASS.
AFTER COMPLETING HIGH SCHOOL, LILA DECIDED THAT SHE WANTED TO ATTEND A HISTORICALLY BLACK UNIVERSITY. WITH THAT DECISION MADE, SHE CHOSE THE LARGEST AND BEST UNIVERSITY TO ATTEND – HOWARD UNIVERSITY LOCATED IN WASHINGTON, D. C. AGAIN SHE DEMONSTRATED HER INTELLECT BY GRADUATING CUM LAUDE IN JUNE 1945 WITH A BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE IN ENGLISH. SHE THEN MATRICULATED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN IN MADISON AND RECEIVED HER MASTERS OF ARTS DEGREE IN ENGLISH IN THE SUMMER OF 1946.

OVER THE FOLLOWING YEARS, SHE DID FURTHER GRADUATE WORK AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY, OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY, AND CENTRAL STATE UNIVERSITY IN OKLAHOMA.

LILA WAS INITATED IN THE ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY, ALPHA CHAPTER AT HOWARD UNIVERSITY ON NOVEMBER 24, 1942. SHE SERVED AS BASILEUS (PRESIDENT) OF THE ALPHA CHAPTER AND TWO ADDITIONAL CHAPTERS DURING HER LIFETIME. SHE WAS A LIFE MEMBER, A SILVER SOROR (25 YEARS) AND A GOLDEN SOROR (50 YEARS).

LILA BEGAN HER TEACHING CAREER AS AN ENGLISH INSTRUCTOR AT LINCOLN UNIVERSITY LOCATED IN JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI IN SEPTEMBER 1946. SHE TAUGHT AT LINCOLN UNIVERSITY FOR FOUR YEARS. SHE ALSO SANG WITH THE LINCOLN UNIVERSITY CHOIR.

IN THE FALL OF 1951, SHE ARRIVED ON THE CAMPUS OF LANGSTON UNIVERSITY IN LANGSTON, OKLAHOMA. ON HER FIRST DAY ON CAMPUS, SHE VISITED THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE. IT MUST HAVE BEEN FATE, BECAUSE ON THAT FIRST DAY IN THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE, SHE MET HER FUTURE HUSBAND, HOLLIS DELTON STEARNS, AND AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AT LANGSTON. FROM THAT FIRST DAY ON LANGSTON'S CAMPUS UNTIL HIS UNTIMELY DEATH IN 1971, HOLLIS AND LILA WERE A COUPLE. THEY MARRIED IN THE SPRING OF 1952, AND ANITA AND CAMILLE WERE THE PRODUCTS OF THAT LOVING UNION.

IN 1955, HOLLIS DECIDED TO LEAVE THE FIELD OF TEACHING AND TO DEPART FROM LANGSTON UNIVERSITY. HE ACCEPTED A POSITION WITH THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FARMERS HOME ADMINISTRATION. IN 1956, HE MOVED THE FAMILY FROM LANGSTON TO OKMULGEE, OKLAHOMA.

AFTER MOVING TO OKMULGEE, LILA BEGAN HER TEACHING CAREER IN THE OKMULGEE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, FIRST AT DUNBAR JUNIOR SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL AND LATER AT THE OKMULGEE MIDDLE SCHOOL. SHE TAUGHT ENGLISH FOR 22 YEARS AND RETIRED IN MAY 1983.

DURING HER YEARS IN OKMULGEE, LILA WAS ACTIVE IN NUMEROUS ORGANIZATIONS AND SERVED ON MANY BOARDS, INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING:
• PRESIDENT, ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY, OKMULGEE GRADUATE CHAPTER
• CHOIR DIRECTOR ,ASSISTANT PIANIST AND VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL TEACHER , EASTSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH
• PRESIDENT, PIERIAN FEDERATED CLUB
• CHAIR, AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN, OKMULGEE CHAPTER
• CORRESPONDING SECRETARY, BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL WOMEN'S CLUB, OKMULGEE CHAPTER
• MEMBER, AMERICAN LEGION AUXILIARY, OKMULGEE CHAPTER
• LIFE MEMBER, NAACP
• MEMBER, JACK & JILL, TULSA CHAPTER
• MEMBER, BOARD OF DIRECTORS, OKMULGEE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL AUTHORITY
• MEMBER, BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF OKLAHOMA COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF ENGLISH
• MEMBER, OKLAHOMA GOVERNOR'S COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN
• MEMBER, GOVERNOR'S HISTORICAL RECORDS ADVISORY BOARD

IN 1986, LILA DECIDED TO RELOCATE TO DETROIT. SHE JOINED AND WAS A DEDICATED MEMBER OF SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH. SHE RECENTLY RETIRED FROM SINGING WITH THE PROGRESSIVE CHOIR, SOMETHING SHE DEARLY LOVED TO DO.

DURING HER TIME IN DETROIT, LILA WAS A MEMBER OF THE DETROIT CHAPTER OF ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY (ALPHA RHO OMEGA), THE RENAISSANCE CHAPTER OF LINKS, THE HOWARD UNIVERSITY ALUMNI CLUB OF DETROIT, THE CHARLES H. WRIGHT MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY, AND THE FRIENDS OF THE DETROIT PUBLIC LIBRARY.

LILA WAS WELCOMED BY ALL OF YOU, AND THE FAMILY THANKS YOU FOR YOUR KINDNESS EXTENDED TO HER DURING HER TIME IN DETROIT.

ON OCTOBER 7, 2016, LILA DIED PEACEFULLY AT HER HOME. SHE LEAVES HER RICH LEGACY TO HER TWO DAUGHTERS, ANITA STEARNS MAYO (JAMES MAYO, II), CAMILLE STEARNS MILLER (DARYL MILLER), HER GRANDCHILDREN KRISTEN MILLER, SHERRY BOLES (SEAN BOLES), MICHELLE STEARNS JOHNSON AND LILLARD STEARNS, JR, NEPHEW GERALD HOBSON (CONNIE HOBSON), NEPHEW JAMES GUESS, JR. (LATWYLA GUESS), NIECE VALERIE GUESS, AND MANY OTHER RELATIVES AND FRIENDS.

The Family will be present to receive friends on Monday, October 17, 2016 from 12:00 Noon until 1:30 PM in the Chapel of Peace at the funeral home in Okmulgee. The public is invited to share with the family at this time.

A Graveside Ceremony will begin at 2:00 PM in the Okmulgee City Cemetery.