R. Patrick Gillis

1945 - 2021

R. Patrick Gillis
January 27, 1945 - October 2, 2021
Scotts Valley, CA
It is with tremendous sadness that we share the passing of our good friend, shaman, and brother, Robert Patrick "Pat" Gillis. On Oct. 2, 2021 at midmorning the glorious medicine lineage Patrick practiced, embraced him as he moves on to the next leg of his journey.
Pat was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. As a toddler he moved with his family to San Jose, where he spent his formative years. After graduating from Camden High School, he earned a BA in Journalism from San Jose State. Pat had both good looks and a robust physique, but what was most attractive about Pat to many was his spirituality. He became an early and lifelong practitioner of transcendental meditation. His commitment to meditation stood with him throughout his life. After a successful business career in the computer and local commercial real estate industries, Pat joined Santa Cruz's own Orion Telescopes company, managing their worldwide business development. He initiated distribution channels around the globe while making lifelong friends across the Atlantic and Pacific. Despite his success with Orion, Pat's spiritual work was calling. Soon he began studying Peruvian shamanic traditions, from the US Southwest to hiking high in the Andes in Peru, where he participated in many shamanic ceremonies with indigenous medicine teachers. He immersed himself in this work and became a powerful shaman who practiced and taught energy medicine for the rest of his life. A natural born teacher and healer, Pat facilitated ceremonies, maintained a private practice, taught classes on subjects such as 'Dying Consciously, and taught the energy exchanges of the Munay Ki. His classes and ceremonies were highly anticipated and well attended. He presided over ceremonies with enormous power and elegance. His intention was pure and his wit was quick.
He succumbed to complications of exposure to agent orange while serving his country during the Vietnam conflict. Despite suffering from the agent orange caused disease for many years, Pat never bemoaned the Army and was grateful for the care he received from the Veteran's Administration. Patrick is survived by a large and loving global community. His death is a huge loss that will be felt by many for years to come. We are grateful to have shared time with this sweet and generous man. A celebration of Pat's life well-lived will be held soon. If you would like to join the fire ceremony/celebration, please share your contact information with mwatch@cruzio.com. In lieu of flowers, Pat has requested donations be made Footbridge Services for the homeless in Santa Cruz. warmingcenterprogram.com/footbridge


View the online memorial for R. Patrick Gillis