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Dalton Lee "Curly Dalton" Gilliam

1931 - 2017

Dalton Lee "Curly Dalton" Gilliam obituary, 1931-2017, Fort Bragg, CA

BORN

1931

DIED

2017

Dalton Gilliam Obituary

Dalton Lee Gilliam, aka Curly Dalton, a long-time resident of Fort Bragg, passed away peacefully Sept. 15, 2017, at his home in Fort Bragg after a long illness.
Born in Jonesboro, Arkansas, in 1931, Curly left home to pursue his passion of playing guitar. He started playing "Western Swing" music at the age of 15 and worked with Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, Tex Ritter, and many other acts during the '40s and '50s.
His own song, "I'll stop drinking' when I stop thinkin' of you," led him to the Grand Ole Opry in 1960.
He and his late wife, Doris, settled in Fort Bragg in 1984 and he was widowed a few years later. Both his children moved to the coast during this period and remain to this day. He met and married Colleen in 1997 at the church they both attended.
He is survived by his wife, Colleen; son, Jamie Gilliam; daughter, Debbie Bryant; and grandchildren, Richard, Michaela, Chris and Haley.
Services will be for members of the family only but Curly wished his friends farewell.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The Mendocino Beacon on Sep. 28, 2017.

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Gwenny

October 18, 2017

Curly wrote songs and had a such a beautiful voice. To me his manner always seemed easy going and kind.

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