James P. Gillilan

1927 - 2019

James P Gillilan
03/12/1927 - 12/07/2019
Jim was born in Superior, Nebraska to Charles and Harriet Gillilan. He resided in Hardy, Nebraska until the age of 16. The family moved to Eugene and he attended University High School until midway through his senior year when he joined the US Navy. He was stationed on the USS Alabama. After the service he attended Oregon State College and graduated with a degree in Forestry. While at OSC he met and married Nancy Nash in 1949. They had two sons Jim and Ron. Jim and Nan built a full and busy life with farming, livestock and his business. Nancy passed in 2005. Jim remarried Sally Abel, a family friend, and they were married for 13 years.
After college, Jim began working at Timber Structures primarily in the Portland area. In 1963 he joined a partnership in P & C Construction in Gresham until 1989 when he retired. During his working years he lived in Lake Oswego and Redland and was active on school boards and in the Gresham business community. Jim loved to pack with horses and mules, first in the Three Sisters Wilderness Area and then later in western Montana, where he was active with the Back Country Horsemen.
Jim and Sally enjoyed their life together splitting time between Montana, Arizona and Oregon.
Jim is survived by his wife Sally, sons Jim (Sue) and Ron (Laura), and brother Rod. His sister Shirley passed in 2000. He has grandsons Charles and Mitchell and great grandson, Javen.
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