08/30/2026
A Love Letter to Coach Dillard 🤍
We are forever grateful for the confidence, mentorship, wisdom, and love you poured into our daughter and so many other students.
Coach Dillard was a gentle soul who cared deeply about her students. She demanded hard work, sportsmanship, and fair play, but she also understood that her students were so much more than athletes. She saw them, listened to them, encouraged them, and cared.
All three of our children were fortunate to know and learn from her in different ways. But for our daughter, Coach became a mentor, a trusted adult, and someone who helped shape the person she is becoming. She is one of the reasons our daughter wants to become a teacher.
When our children returned to school after 18 months of pandemic homeschooling, Coach’s gym became a safe space. She welcomed them to shoot baskets, blow off steam, and simply be themselves. She offered gentle counsel and support for the fears and struggles they were carrying.
As a basketball family we interacted with Coach for years. Coach and I shared so many conversations about basketball, our kids, teaching, ADHD, and life. She gave so much of herself to others.
We hope she knew just how deeply she was loved and how lasting her impact has been.
Thank you, Coach Dillard, for loving our children, believing in them, challenging them, and giving them a safe place to grow.
Your legacy lives on in every student and athlete you encouraged. May you rest in eternal peace. 🤍
Our deepest, tearful condolences to the Carrboro and Felton Grove families and to every student, colleague, friend, and young woman athlete whose life you touched with your wisdom, guidance, encouragement, and love.
Yesterday’s memorial service was incredibly difficult, but being in a room full of people whose lives you touched was a beautiful reminder of just how much you meant to so many.
You loved your students. And for that, we will be forever grateful.
We are devastated.