John Simon Gillis

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of John S. Gillis. He was born to Rita and Simon Gillis on March 21, 1937 in Washington DC. His family then moved to Buffalo, New York where he resided for the next 21 years. He went on to Stanford University and earned his Bachelor’s Degree, graduating with Great Distinction. This was followed by Cornell University where he earned his Master’s, and finally The University of Colorado where he received his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. After his time in school, he joined the United States Air Force and taught at the Air Force Academy for four years. He married Mary Ann Wesolowski in 1959, and they went on to have three children, Holly, Mark, and Scott, each of whom they loved dearly and who returned the love. Daughter Holly, and her husband Dowell, went on to have two children of their own, Tyler and Kelly. John was passionate about travel and athletics. He loved both watching and playing sports. Baseball was his favorite and he played during his time at Stanford. During the course of his life, he also ran 98 marathons in the US and several more abroad, travelling all over the world to do so. He and Mary Ann visited and lived in many different countries including four years spent in Australia and three years in India where John worked as a psychologist and gave many talks and presentations to the medical community in their area. His wife and family were happy and willing travel partners, and many others were enticed to the call of adventure with him. His sisters say that when he was young, he loved the idea of travelling, and he was able to live his dream travelling the world. Eventually he and his family settled down in Oregon, a place John had always loved. He and Mary Ann were able to watch their children grow up and enjoy the wildlife and greenery of Oregon together for more than 25 years. John would especially enjoy watching the large herds of deer that would travel through their backyard. John was a kind, giving person, and will be greatly missed. Anyone wishing to share thoughts or memories with the family can do so at www.McHenryFuneralHome.com.

Tributes

John Simon Gillis

March 21, 1937 - April 7, 2024