Barbara Ann Gille

Barbara Ann (Bobbi) Gille, 85, passed away of natural causes at her home in Morris Plains, New Jersey on June 20, 2024.
She was born Barbara Ann Albright, in Neptune, New Jersey to Reberta Clayton Albright and Dr. Louis F. Albright, in 1938. She was predeceased by her husband, Grant M. Gille. She is survived by her sister, Mary Louise Johnston; four children: Grant, Eric, Todd and Ashley, and eight grandchildren (Michael 28, Brynn 25, Drew 22, Paige 18, Kaitlyn 27, Ally 17, Jack 20, and Kaia 17).
Bobbi touched the lives of many people in diverse and positive ways. Her passion for travel, ballet, Brown Ledge camp, diving, waterskiing, the arts, social equality, education, and her family was unsurpassed. She helped establish the Arts Council of Essex County and worked professionally for years at the Community Foundation of New Jersey. In addition to her aforementioned passions, one of her most notable traits was her perseverance and an uncanny ability to come up with remarkably creative and positive solutions to overwhelmingly negative or challenging situations. She exhibited this trait throughout her professional, volunteer, and personal life.
Bobbi grew up at the New Jersey shore in Spring Lake, and spent the majority of her summers at Brown Ledge Camp in Vermont where she excelled in diving and other water sports. She graduated from Skidmore College in 1960 earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Fine Arts.
After graduating, she spent several years in New York City working in creative design, writing and advertising. In NYC, she met her husband, Grant Gille, got married, and moved to join Grant while he was in the Army in Okinawa, Japan. They spent two years in Japan where Bobbi taught school and she and Grant grew increasingly close.
Upon returning to the United States, she and Grant moved to Virginia where Grant attended law school and she taught Headstart, a program for disadvantaged children. During their tenure in Virginia, they welcomed their first of four children, Grant Jr. They then moved to Montclair, New Jersey where they established more permanent roots and continued building their family.
Bobbi and Grant raised four children and were deeply involved in the Montclair and New Jersey communities. Bobbi spent several years working at various nonprofit community foundations, fundraising, supporting community outreach programs, and organizing charities addressing education, children, the AIDS epidemic, Spina Bifida and other humanitarian causes. They spent the majority of their adult lives in Montclair before retiring to Spring Lake in 2004.
In retirement, she continued to be actively involved in the community and enjoyed performing annually as the grandmother in the New Jersey Ballet's Nutcracker at the Mayo Center in Morristown. She also enjoyed traveling with Grant, her children, and grandchildren to many international locations.
Her impact and passion was profound in many areas and she will be sorely missed by her family and friends. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 27th at St. Uriel's Church at 219 Philadelphia Boulevard in Sea Girt, N.J. Following the service, there will a Repast at The Breakers on 1507 Ocean Avenue in Spring Lake, NJ.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Spina Bifida Association at 1600 Wilson Blvd., Ste 800, Arlington, VA 22209 (or by email at givesbaa.org and phone at 202-618-4746) or Brown Ledge Camp at brownledge.org (mailing address: Brown Ledge Foundation, PO Box 862, Colchester, VT 05446).
Services have been entrusted to Whitham-Kanapaux Funeral Home, 20 Keller Ave., Rockaway, NJ 07866
Condolences may be sent to Rockawayfuneral.com