Louis John Sillay Jr.

Louis John Sillay Jr, of Atlanta, Georgia passed away at the age of 94 on July 21, 2024.

Louis, “Lou” was a loving husband, dedicated father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He was a thoughtful man with impeccable integrity, a Veteran, a protector, a loyal and kind friend, a mentor, and an encourager to many. He was an avid outdoorsman, an excellent fisherman, a responsible environmentalist, a gardener, a remodeler and craftsman, a dog lover, a handyman, and a fixer of many things.

Louis was born in Atlanta, Georgia on December 29, 1929, to Louis John Sillay Sr. and Reba Laramore Sillay. Louis was the eldest of their five children. He grew up in Atlanta’s West End, attended Boy’s High School, and graduated from Brown High School in 1948, he enlisted in the Air Force, earned the GI Bill during the Korean War, and graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1956 with a degree in Industrial Engineering.

Louis’s father was a commercial photographer and the family briefly moved to New York City before returning to Atlanta when he was 10 years old. He often described the stark difference to the concrete sidewalks of New York. He was delighted to be back in the more rural West End, where he and his brother and side-kick, Guy could run and find new adventures in the woods. He remained a nature enthusiast and animal lover throughout his life.

Louis was a great storyteller and he shared many wonderful stories about his life growing up in West End during the 1930s and 40s.

When he was 14 years old, he met the love of his life, Laura Lee Drew in a Sunday school class at Park Street Methodist Church. Boys’ and girls’ classes were separated then but Laura Lee stepped into his class to pick up the collection plate. Louis fondly remembered that very moment and told the story over and over again throughout his life. Laura Lee was wearing a lavender sweater when she stepped in front of the stained glass windows in the classroom that day. There were lavender pieces in the stained glass windows and when their eyes met Louis was certain that her eyes were Lavender too. He was taken immediately and knew his life would never be the same again.

After high school, Louis enlisted in the Air Force, just as the Korean War began. During his military technical training at Chanute Field, near Chicago, Illinois, Louis studied and passed exams that earned him a weather analyst position, stationed in Alaska. It was an essential role for critical communications and missions during the war.

Louis and Laura Lee did not want to be separated but her mother, Ruby Clyatt Drew would not agree. She wanted Laura Lee to finish college before marriage. On July 21, 1950, Louis and Laura Lee eloped. His brother Guy and now, wife, Martha Ann Chapman Sillay served as witnesses and drove with them to Alabama, where Louis and Laura Lee were able to marry without parental consent. They began their married life at Elmendorf Air Force Base, in Anchorage, Alaska.

Note: Laura Lee’s mother, Ruby eventually forgave them and continued to play a significant role in their lives.

Louis was always the “weatherman” He never stopped keeping an eye on the weather wherever his family members were. He frequently called and sent weather warning texts or emails when bad weather was heading their way.

After his military service, Louis, Laura Lee, and their baby daughter, Julie moved back to West End, Atlanta. Louis rode the trolley back and forth to classes at Georgia Tech and graduated with a wife and 3 children at home.

After graduation, the family moved to Massachusetts where Louis began his defense engineering career, working for companies like Raytheon, and Sylvania.

Louis and Laura Lee made friends and enjoyed happy lives wherever they lived. In 1972, he accepted a position with Harris Corporation and they moved to Melbourne Beach, Florida, where they lived for 34 years. The three oldest children, Julie, Joe, and John were grown and Louis had more time to pursue his outdoor interests. He loved the beach life and spent many evenings catching fresh fish in the surf like Red Snapper, Pompano, Whiting, and Grouper and bringing them home for dinner. He loved moonlit walks on the beach and watching the Sea Turtles coming onto shore to lay eggs. Occasionally, he also went deep-sea fishing with friends. He frequently took Laurie, Merrilee and later, his grandchildren to Sebastian Inlet, where he gigged flounder, caught huge Bluefish and dropped nets off the bridge to catch shrimp. During those years, Louis and Laura Lee learned great recipes and thoroughly enjoyed preparing and serving their fresh seafood dishes to family and friends.

Louis also began to train hunting dogs and he took them to obedience and field trials. He built a deluxe kennel and owned several Weimaraners and German Shorthaired Pointers. His dog training skills were remarkable and he enjoyed practicing and running with them in the fields, occasionally on horseback. He enjoyed working with the dogs most but he occasionally also hunted quail, ducks, and pheasant. It was wonderful to watch and hard to tell, whether Louis or his dogs were having the most fun.

After he retired, Louis and Laura Lee moved back to the Atlanta area where they enjoyed being closer to many of their family members and grandchildren. They also spent several happy years living in Big Canoe, in Jasper, Georgia.

In his later years, Louis spent significant time studying his family genealogy, documenting, and writing, collecting, scanning, and restoring old photographs. He traced his ancestors back to the Revolutionary War and he and his wife, Laura Lee became members of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) and the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).

Louis cared deeply about the environment and could identify most plants, trees, and birds. He frequently delighted children with his realistic bird and frog imitations. When he learned about the decline of Blue Bird populations, Louis began building and installing Blue Bird houses and giving presentations to educate others about their importance and how to protect them.

In addition to his outdoor life in Florida and Georgia, Louis loved to chaperone Boy Scout trips with his grandsons. He also loved the northwest and made several visits to Oregon, where he enjoyed hiking and fishing with his son and daughter-in-law, Joe and Laila. Even in his 80s, Louis enjoyed (with a little help) hiking in snow shoes and fishing for Salmon. He loved the mountains and recently moved to an assisted living home in Blue Ridge, Georgia, close to his son, John, and wife Sandy.

Louis loved all of his family members dearly and enjoyed spending time with each one.

He was predeceased by his wife, Laura Lee Drew Sillay, his parents, Louis John Sillay Sr. and Reba Laramore Sillay, and his sisters, Rita Sillay Lyon, and Marianne Sillay Cagle.

Louis is survived by his 5 children and their spouses: Julie Sillay Hogan (Alan Hogan), Joseph Drew Sillay (Laila Raad Sillay), John Mark Sillay (Sandra Walton Sillay), Laura, “Laurie” Sillay Wakefield (Simon Wakefield), and Merrilee Sillay Brock (David Brock). Louis is also survived by 11 grandchildren: Nash Hogan, Bonnie Sillay Feagle, Nicholas Hogan, Adam Lahr, Kate Sillay Angel, Rachael Sillay Lorenz, John Walton Sillay, Joanna Wakefield Richt, Jana Lee Sillay, Andrew Brock, Asa Brock, and 9 great-grandchildren.

Louis is also survived by his brothers and sister-in-law, Guy Frank Sillay (Martha Ann Chapman Sillay) and Roy Steven Sillay.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.
This obituary will be updated once arrangements have been finalized.

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In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Georgia Technical Institute in memory of Louis Sillay

(all donations in Louis’s name will be applied to student scholarships)
https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/46972/donations/new