Add a Memory
Send Flowers
Make a Donation
1926 - 2019
1926 - 2019
Obituary
Guest Book
View All Photos
Add Photos to Memorial
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
November 9, 2019
An aviator, a gentleman totally non assuming.
I had the great honor to meet and talk with Robert at The Royal Aeronautical Society London July 3rd 2007
Robert told me his family name being so long, it was reduced to my christian name of Gil to fit his flying suit name patch.
After Roberts excellent lecture, he declined to return to his hotel room "one of the loneliest places on earth" as he called it. I would prefer to sit here and talk aviation.
And so another hour with the great man.
Thank you for your service Sir.
Robert J Gilliland R.I.P
Pete Gurzenski
October 22, 2019
A truly great man, I'll miss him like all his other friends will. Met & worked with him while a docent at Blackbird Airpark, Palmdale, Ca. Spent time talking SR info, that I used to inform guests about the SR.
David Clow
September 28, 2019
He had a pilot's swagger and a warrior's courage. One of a kind. Fair winds.
Steve Barbee
September 14, 2019
I met Mr. Gilliland in the line for flight on Southwest Airlines in Baltimore in approximately 2000. He was wearing the best SR-71 ballcap I ever saw and I asked him where he got it. He told me that he was an SR-71 test pilot. I looked him in the eye and said questioningly, 'Lou Schalk?". He smiled and said his name and I said, "Oh, right. Lou Schalk was the test pilot for the A-12". Mr. Gilliland pretended he didn't know what I was talking about but was nice enough to sit down with me and let me play 20 questions with him. We were the last 2 people on the airplane and he ended up in a window seat on the last row. I remember thinking that here was a guy who flew Mach 3 in space suits sitting in the 'back of the bus' on an airliner. He was nice enough to give me his business card, which I think I still have. Thank you Mr. Gilliland.
Donate in Memory
Make a donation in memory of your loved one.
Add photos
Share their life with photo memories.
Plant trees
Honor them by planting trees in their memory.
Follow this page
Get email updates whenever changes are made.
Send flowers
Consider sending flowers.
Share this page
Invite other friends and family to visit the page.
"Touching Titanium" at March AFB Museum - A good friend. He explained technical theories to me as if I understood.
Giacinta Koontz
July 29, 2019
Capt. Wm. Wilkerson, Giacinta Bradley Koontz and Robert at the Tenn Aviation Hall of Fame - What delightful times we shared with mutual friends..
Giacinta Koontz
July 29, 2019
July 20, 2019
I am so sorry for your loss may you find comfort and hope through this difficult time
Wilson Sims, jr
July 17, 2019
My dad Woody Sims, Class of 42 at Webb School in Bell Buckle Tennessee and i (Webb School class of '72) send our sympathies to the Gilliland family. Mr. Gilliland, and his father who my dad says was chairman of the board at Webb, was a alum of highest distinction whose character and memory will continue. We send our deepest condolences for your loss.
Mimi Richards
July 16, 2019
What a remarkable life he had! I'm so sorry for the loss of your father, Dr. Hayes.
Mimi Richards
Robert Dracup
July 15, 2019
God bless. One of my life long hero's. I had the privilege to meet Mr Gilliland on a lecture tour at Duxford, England.
July 9, 2019
My deepest condolences to the family, may you find comfort and strength from the God of all comfort in this difficult time (Isiah 25:8)
Jeremy Newman
July 9, 2019
While we never met, I feel a close association with Bob. I wish I had tracked him down after he was Grand Marshall of a parade in Palm Desert several years ago. I tried but the traffic blocked us.
My "association" with Bob was through my intimate involvement with the manufacture of the titanium from which the SR-71 was made. In the mid 1950's through the 1960's I was a young titanium metallurgist with TIMET and was heavily involved in alloy composition development and mill processing procedures in the manufacture of titanium sheet , plate and billet products. The secret project at the time was always intriguing. Visits from the "customer" were special. I have always felt a close association with the "Blackbird" and would loved to have had the opportunity to shake Bob's hand and talk a little. I will always regret not following up to meet him personally.
Please accept my deepest sympathy for your great loss.
Jeremy Newman, Rancho Mirage, CA
Ernestine Smith
July 9, 2019
Bob Gilliland was a Memphis treasure. He grew up here but was destined for greatness in the Aviation World. He was interesting, brilliant, and always generated a lot attention whenever he visited his home town. I shall miss his wonderful stories and his kind spirit.
Showing 1 - 15 of 15 results
The nightly ceremony in Washington, D.C. will be dedicated in honor of your loved one on the day of your choosing.
Read moreWhat kind of arrangement is appropriate, where should you send it, and when should you send an alternative?
Read moreWe'll help you find the right words to comfort your family member or loved one during this difficult time.
Read moreIf you’re in charge of handling the affairs for a recently deceased loved one, this guide offers a helpful checklist.
Read moreLegacy's Linnea Crowther discusses how families talk about causes of death in the obituaries they write.
Read moreThey're not a map to follow, but simply a description of what people commonly feel.
Read moreYou may find these well-written obituary examples helpful as you write about your own family.
Read moreThese free blank templates make writing an obituary faster and easier.
Read moreSome basic help and starters when you have to write a tribute to someone you love.
Read more