Lee Towy Gillette

Lee Towy Gillette Gary Lee Towy Gillette passed away on March 27, 2005, Easter Sunday at Home. He was born November 14, 1946 in Carbondale, Pennsylvania. His family moved to Lima Ohio in 1962. Lee graduated from Lima High School in 1964 and attended Ohio State University and Urbana College. Lee joined the Marine Corps and served in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968. He stayed on in Iwakuni, Japan where he was a radio broadcaster on the air with the Far East Radio Network. After returning to the states, he helped organize veterans and was active in Vietnam Veterans Against War. A talented photographer, Lee worked for WLIO-TV (Lima, OH) and The Lima News; he enjoyed an extensive career as a railroad conductor--beginning with the Erie Lackawana, then for Conrail starting in 1976 and finally for Amtrak from 1987 to 1998. He retired from the railroad after receiving a life-saving liver transplant in 1998, and continued working on a volunteer basis with Operation Redblock, a drug and alcohol peer prevention program and as a post critical incident stress management counselor. Lee was the secretary-treasurer of the United Transportation Union, local 168, for 13 years. He and his wife, Corya (Kennedy) married in 1991 and made their home in the Miller Beach section of Gary, Indiana. Lee is survived by: his wife, Corya (Kennedy); his sister, Linda O'Reilly of Toronto, Ontario, Canada and two nieces: Miranda and Melissa. Two Memorial Services are planned: Friday, June 17 at 1pm in the Great Hall of Union Station, Chicago, IL and Saturday, June 18, 2pm at St. Barnabas in the Dunes Episcopal Church, 601 Pottawatomie Trail in Gary, IN. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Harbor Light Hospice in Merrillville, IN; or 5th Street Club, Wheeler, Indiana. Friends and family are encourage organ donation and "living one day at a time" PROFESSIONAL SERVICES RENDERED BY GUY & ALLEN FUNERAL DIRECTORS, INC.