By admin 
DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — A family is starting a scholarship to honor a Wake County high school coach who previously served in Durham and Orange counties after police said she was killed in a stabbing involving her boyfriend two weeks ago.
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Sheremy G. Dillard, 57, whose funeral is planned for Saturday, was a long-time teacher and an award-winning coach before she began coaching girls basketball at Felton Grove High School in Apex last year. She was also coached in Durham and was the inaugural girls basketball coach at Carrboro High School.
Dillard was killed in an August 13 Raleigh stabbing, and her boyfriend, with whom she lived along Whistling Straits Way, was arrested in her death, a Raleigh Police Department news release said.
Ricky Harper, 60, was captured following a brief stand-off a day after the killing in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, and charged with first-degree murder, police said.
One former Durham student said Dillard coached him from 2004 to 2008 at Hillside High School.
“She always was someone you could go to and the one who made sure you stayed out of trouble. If you needed a laugh or someone to cry to, she was the one,” said Osmund Davis, a former student.
Dillard’s family is establishing an annual scholarship in her honor, recognizing her commitment to students.
“She was a bright light in our lives, a passionate educator, and someone who dedicated her life to inspiring others through teaching and coaching,” her brother, Dr. Bernard L. Dillard, wrote on a GoFundMe page.
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Bernard said they are seeking funds to start the scholarship, which will be awarded yearly to a graduating senior female at Hillside High School in Durham.
Sheremy Dillard in a photo courtesy of her family. 
Sheremy Dillard in a photo courtesy of her family. Sheremy Dillard (right) in a photo courtesy of her family. 
Before joining Felton Grove High, Sheremy Dillard was the girls basketball coach at Carrboro High School. In 2023, she was named the Northern Lakes Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in that sport. Photo courtesy: Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools 
The Raleigh home where Sheremy Dillard was killed in a stabbing on August 13. CBS 17 photo 
Sheremy Dillard as the girls basketball coach at Carrboro High School in 2023. Photo courtesy: Carrboro Athletics 
Rickey Harper (Plymouth Township Police Department)
“We want to turn our immense grief into a lasting, positive legacy for the Durham community that she loved so dearly,” the brother wrote.
Sheremy graduated from North Carolina Central University in 1992, where she played on the women’s basketball team, and where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education, her obituary said. While teaching and coaching girls’ basketball at Carrboro High School, she was named Northern Lakes Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2023.
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Sheremy Dillard’s “celebration of life” is planned for Saturday at 1 p.m. at Hillside High School, 3727 Fayetteville St. in Durham, her obituary said.
Before Saturday’s service, Dillard’s family will also meet visitors on Friday and Saturday at Fisher Memorial Funeral Parlor.
After the Hillside High School service, interment will take place at Glennview Memorial Park, 2515 Apex Highway in Durham, the obituary said.
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