Nick Gulli

Gulli, Nick
On Monday, April 18, 2011, Nick Gulli, at the age of 81, passed away quietly and peacefully at home in the arms of his adored wife of 33 years, Mickey (Michele). He was a valiant warrior in a three year battle he did not choose. He fought bravely for the sake of his family and friends. Nick was born on February 1, 1930 on the south side of Chicago where he attended Harper High School. Upon graduation, he proudly joined the Air Force. He was stationed in Shreveport, La for two years before he volunteered to go to England for his last two years of service. He then managed a grocery store, drove a bread route, did tunnel construction and managed gas stations for Checker Oil Company in the Chicago area. He and Mickey followed their dream to Glendale, Az in July, 1979. There he began his 19 year career with Giant Industries. They had been RVing for several years and when he retired in 1998 that gave them the opportunity to do the traveling that they so loved. For three months each spring, they would travel in their "Gypsy Hilton" visiting friends and family and seeing the country. In the summer they parked the RV on the Mogollon Rim in Forest Lakes and most recently at Pine Crest Lakes Resort in Overgaard. Since retirement was not a word in Nick's vocabulary, he began his next career working for Van Chevrolet. Nick was an incredibly social man who loved meeting and talking with people. A stranger to him was a person he had seen but had not yet greeted. After his hello, that person became his friend and an extension of his family. For Nick, working was never a job, but a pleasure. His heart was touched when Van's allowed him to work as much or as little as he could manage when he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in January, 2008. His daughters Nikki and Julie were steadfast in helping Mickey to care for Nick during his last months. Nick also leaves behind sons, Joe, Scott, Frazer, Ross and Matthew, 16 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. At Nick's request, a funeral or memorial will not be scheduled. Instead, a celebration of his incredible life will be held on May 1st at Arrowhead Country Club, 19888 N. 73rd Ave., Glendale, from 3:30-6:00pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the charity that he and Mickey have worked with since his diagnosis: The Arizona Myeloma Network, 20280 N. 59 th Avenue, Suite 115 #448, Glendale, AZ 85308, 623-388-6837