Dr. Charles M. "Charley" Gill Sr.

1927 - 2016

Dr. Charles "Charley" M. Gill, Sr

Nashville, TN

Dr. Charles (Charley) McClelland Gill, Sr. was born August 2, 1927 in Decherd, Tennessee, and died peacefully, surrounded by family, on December 3, 2016.

Preceded in death by parents Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Gordon Gill, his brother Lawrence Gill, Jr., Susan Shelley Gill (one day old daughter), and his beloved wife of forty-seven years, Barbara McCarley Gill, whose passing left a void in his life from which he never quite recovered.

He is survived by two sons, Dr. Charles M. Gill, Jr., and Andrew M. Gill and their wives Barbara Gill and Leisa Gill, along with seven grandchildren, Lauren Gill Rainbolt (Wes), Suzanne Shelley Gill, Charles M. Gill, III, Abigail Marie Gill, Natalie Swearingin (Adam), Nicholas Diehl, and Melissa Woodard (Nathan); and three great-grandchildren.

Charley was a 1943 honors graduate of Castle Heights Military Academy, followed by military service in the United States Navy for two years during World War II. He then attended Vanderbilt University where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in 1950, and was a member and officer of the Kappa Alpha Order. He received his Doctor of Medicine Degree at the University of Tennessee Allied School of Medicine in Memphis in 1955, where he met and eventually married the love of his life, Barbara McCarley.

Following medical school he served as a Captain in the United States Army during the Korean War and completed his internship and advanced training at Walter Reed Army Hospital. After his residency in Atlanta in Obstetrics and Gynecology he entered practice in Nashville in the offices of Drs. Scott Bayer, James Ellis and B.K. Hibbett, to whom he was always grateful for their generosity in helping him start his practice.

During his forty-plus years of practice he served on the board of the Nashville Academy of Medicine and Davidson County Medical Society. He also served as Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mid-state Baptist Hospital, and a Clinical Instructor at Vanderbilt Hospital.

He served as president of the Nashville OB-GYN Society and president of the E.D. Calvin OB-GYN Society. After retirement, he worked as a physician for the Department of Defense.

Dr. Gill was a strong supporter of the Boy Scouts of America and served as assistant Scout leader of Troop 31 in Nashville. He was a member of the Middle Tennessee Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America, where he served several terms.

He was an active member at First Presbyterian Church, Nashville, serving both as a Deacon, Elder and active in Stephen Ministry.

Dr. Gill left his impressionable mark on all who knew him, and was frequently reunited with patients, their spouses and children whom he had delivered.

Outside of practice hours, he and Barbara were seldom apart. They built their world around family, friends and laughter. When not at home they could be found together fishing on Tim's Ford Lake or relaxing on Destin's beach. He was known for his ability to practice not just the science, but also the art of medicine, and was perhaps even more beloved for his gentle spirit and kind heart. With his passing, heaven gains an angel as he is reunited with the love of his life.

Honorary Pallbearers include: Thurman Sensing, Robert Cowan, Judge Thomas Higgins and The Men's Table at the Blakeford.

His family will receive friends on Monday from 5-7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church in Nashville, and again from 11 AM until noon on Tuesday.

Services celebrating Dr. Gill's life will be conducted at 12 noon on Tuesday. With military honor provided by the United States Navy, he will be laid to rest beside his love in Harpeth Hills Memory Gardens.