Obituary of James Gillick

GILLICK, James Joseph

July 16, 1942 – July 16, 2023

Jim Gillick, our beloved husband, father and brother, passed away on his 81^st birthday, July 16, at The Civic Hospital.

Loving husband of 56 years of Marjorie (Elliott) Gillick and devoted father of Ryan Gillick and Janna Gillick (Dean Dubyk), and cherished brother of David Gillick, Jim is also mourned by his sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law and his five nephews and families. Born in Kitchener, Ontario, Jim was the son of Joseph Edgar Gillick and Sara (Kiertscher) Gillick.

Jim was an electrical engineering graduate of the University of Waterloo and he spent a significant part of his professional working life at Computing Devices Canada.

A long-time member of the Stittsville community, he coached children’s baseball teams for several years. He also did important and significant leadership work with the Poole Creek Wetlands Group and in the preservation of the land extension at Alexander Grove.  Upon retirement, Jim combined his engineering and project management skills and his love for reading by leading a sizable upgrade to the Stittsville Library as Chairman of the Stittsville Library Board.

Beyond his successful career as an electrical engineer, Jim was a man of many interests and talents. He found immense joy in his first love, sailing on the Ottawa River and Georgian Bay. In his workshop, he found great satisfaction in woodworking; he loved crafting canoe paddles, all sorts of boxes and other works of art. He was a skilled downhill skier, biker and hiker. His green thumb flourished in the gardens he nurtured, where he found delight in watching life bloom.  As part of his interest in nature, Jim was one of the volunteer participants in The Breeding Birds of Ontario Atlas Project, 2001-2005, and in the University of Guelph’s Ontario Tree Atlas Project, 2006.

Jim faced challenges with bravery and determination, particularly his 40 year battle against Parkinson's Disease. He was one of the early participants in the Canadian Deep Brain Stimulation pilot project. Despite the hardships of this disease, he approached life with courage and grace, and his resilience, stoicism and humour inspired those who knew him. In honor of Jim's memory and in recognition of the impact Parkinson's had on his life, the family kindly requests donations to be made to a Parkinson's research charity of your choice.

A family celebration of life will take place at a later date.