Douglas Gille

Douglas William Gille VIRGINIA BEACH - Douglas William Gille, 54, passed away Jan. 12, 2009, surrounded by close family and friends following a short illness. Doug was born in Hinsdale, Ill., grew up in Park Falls, Wis., and Largo, Fla. He received his bachelor's degree in marketing/quantitative analysis from Florida State University, a master's in business from the University of Florida and a post-graduate degree from Technology Studies, USDA Graduate School, Washington, D.C. He lived in many places including a kibbutz in Israel and in Northern Virginia, Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C., Norfolk then Virginia Beach. Doug had many jobs throughout his life including being a fireman for the Belleair Bluffs Fire Department in Florida, one of the first male switchboard phone operators for GE, Lakeside Pharmaceuticals sales, Sandy Point Launch Service, statistics teacher at Tidewater Community College and senior IT consultant for companies such as American Management Systems Inc., PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Pomeroy IT Solutions, AmeriGroup Corp., and his most recent employer, IBM. Doug traveled the world and made many new friends on his journeys. Doug possessed a warm, welcoming spirit and kept his friends for life. As a respected mentor and dedicated friend, Doug always made time for those who needed him. He was easygoing and adventurous, a jack-of-all-trades, always "fixing" things, a great storyteller, knowledgeable in computers, he had a wonderful sense of humor and amazing insight on life. He was able to make the complex understandable to everyone. He is cherished by his wife of almost 10 years, Janice Galvan Gille, whom he met at the Virginia Symphony. He adored his three children, Catherine Ross, Victoria Anne and Andrew William, whom he was blessed to spend time with; his sister, Barbara Hayden; brother-in-law, Michael and son Seth of Jacksonville, Fla.; brother, Philip Gille and sister-in-law Bonita from Eufaula, Ala.; mother-in-law, Lillott Galvan; and nieces, nephews, cousins and many, many close friends. Doug's loss will be deeply felt by the abundance of people whose lives he touched professionally and personally. The family thanks the many doctors and nurses at the ICU department at Virginia Beach General Hospital for all their time, effort and care. The family will receive friends at a wake Friday between 6 and 8 p.m. at Woodlawn Funeral Home, 6329 Virginia Beach Blvd., Norfolk. Donations can be made at any Bank of America to the Gille Family Support Fund. The funeral will be held Saturday at noon in St. Nicholas Catholic Church, 712 Little Neck Road, Virginia Beach.