Dr. Paul George Lillard

Dr. Paul George Lillard passed away peacefully surrounded by family on November 29, 2022, in Santa Fe, New Mexico at the age of 86. Paul was born in Guadalajara, Mexico on December 14, 1935, to parents Joseph and Louise Lillard. The family relocated to North Texas in 1944 and Paul spent the rest of his formative years and most of his adult life in Jacksboro. At an early age, Paul was diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease which left him blind in one eye and required several cornea transplants throughout his life to maintain vision in the other eye. Paul never viewed his vision problems as an obstacle and he excelled in school and athletics in Jacksboro. He was named Texas All-State Guard in 1953 and this distinction gave him the opportunity to go to Texas A&M University on a football scholarship the following year where he played under the legendary coach, Bear Bryant. At Texas A&M, Paul earned a Bachelor’s degree in Agronomy and became a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) in 1964. In his last year of veterinary school, Paul married Harriett Copeland, also from Jacksboro, and together they opened the Jacksboro Veterinary Clinic. Driving a Volkswagen and donning long hair and beard, Paul looked more like a city hippy than a country veterinarian when he returned to his hometown in 1966. It took some time for locals and ranchers to warm up to him, but he soon proved himself more than capable of the job. Countless dogs, cats, birds, horses, cattle, and all other variety of critters were treated and cared for by Paul at the Jacksboro Veterinary Clinic from its opening in 1966 to its closing day in 2012. For these 46 years, if an animal was in trouble anywhere within a 100-mile radius of Jacksboro, Doc Lillard (or Dr. Paul as many called him) was there to tend to it – days, nights, holidays, weekends, in the clinic, or in the pasture. He didn’t care if you had money on hand to pay - a life (and in many cases a livelihood) was on the line and he knew that this was more important than a day off, a good night’s sleep, or money in the bank. Following a battle with chronic Q-fever, Paul reluctantly hung up his stethoscope in 2012 and retired with Harriett to Santa Fe, NM. Paul believed strongly in giving back to the community offering his time and services to the Jacksboro chapter of the FFA, local animal rescue groups, the Jacksboro Animal Shelter, and sponsoring free rabies vaccination clinics every year in Jacksboro and surrounding rural communities in conjunction with the fire department. He served on the Chamber of Commerce, the school board, and throughout his residency in Jacksboro, he volunteered as a Spanish translator for the local police department. Paul relished every experience in life that would leave him with a good story to tell. Outside of work, he was an avid outdoorsman, loved hiking and mountaineering, and had a lifelong lust for travel. Although his leisure time was limited by work, he managed to travel all over his beloved Mexico and into parts of Central America, Europe, the western United States, Canada, and India during his lifetime. Harriett preferred scholarly pursuits to outdoor adventures, so in his years before retirement, Paul traveled on annual bucket list adventures with his adult children creating memories cherished by all involved. Paul and Harriett found plenty of common ground raising their four children, their endless love for each other, animals, dancing their socks off, reading, and a mutual thirst for knowledge. Paul and Harriett helped raise funds to open the first animal shelter in Jacksboro, a cause near and dear to both of their hearts. As many of you reading this are aware, the Jacksboro Animal Shelter was seriously damaged by an EF3 tornado earlier this year. For this reason, the family requests that, in lieu of flowers, tributes to Paul be made as donations to the Friends of the Jacksboro Animal Shelter to benefit the building of a new animal shelter to support the community. *Jacksboro Animal Shelter - Memory of Paul Lillard* Read more & donate here – https://gofund.me/b171eef9 Paul was proceeded in death by his wife, Harriett Lillard, sister Betty, and two brothers, Joe and Phillip. He is survived by four children, Allegra Mia Lillard of Santa Fe, Jason Lillard of Argyle, Texas, Piper Lillard Caouette of Mansfield, Connecticut, and Kate Lillard Tunstall of Alcester, England, nine grandchildren, Kai and Blaze Morgan, Taylor Bridges, Mira Lillard, Eli and Mary Caouette, and Sidney, Elliot, and Cooper Tunstall, and many adoring nieces, nephews, and cousins. The family would like to say a special thank you to everyone at El Castillo Life Plan Community in Santa Fe for helping to keep Paul’s smile and laughter alive in his final months. Following a private graveside service for family and close friends, the public is invited to a Celebration of Paul’s Life at The Jacksboro Country Club from 2 to 5 pm on Monday, December 19, 2022.

Dr. Paul George Lillard

December 14, 1935 - November 29, 2022