The following obituary was originally published in the Leadville Herald Democrat.
Thomas (Tom) Gillis died at home on May 9 with his wife and children by his side.
Gillis was born in Ipswich, Mass., on Nov. 28, 1939, the youngest of eight siblings in a French Canadian family.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1958 and attended the Army Language School in Monterey, Calif., where he learned Russian. After leaving the army he earned degrees in Russian at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He later worked for the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools in Chicago and then for Colorado Mountain College in Leadville as campus dean.
After moving to Boulder in 1986, Gillis worked for the U.S. Postal Service until he retired in 2006. In retirement he volunteered for Community Food Share and Boulder County CareConnect, taking special pleasure in contributing to its Fix-It program.
Gillis was said to be deeply loved by his family and many friends. He was also said to be highly intelligent and read widely, especially history, and loved music, particularly bluegrass. He was kind and generous with a wonderful sense of humor and will be missed by all, according to his family.
Gillis is survived by his wife of 42 years, Lesley; children, Moira Gillis Gray, of Tewksbury, Mass., Matthew Gillis, of Leadville, and Emily Gillis, of Boulder; and grandchildren, Ada Jane Nicodemus and Ian Thomas Gray, of Tewksbury, Mass. He is also survived by a brother, Gerard Gillis, of Roseville, Calif., and many nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Gillis’ life took place Wednesday, May 21, at the Grand Assembly Hall at Chautauqua in Boulder.
Donations, in lieu of flowers, can be made to Boulder County CareConnect, P.O. Box 3675, Boulder, CO 80307.