Robert Gillies

OXFORD – Robert B. Gillies, 79, of Wheelock Street, died peacefully at home on Friday, April 1, 2016, after a long illness. He is survived by his wife of 17 years, Sharron L. (Lamoureux) Gillies of Oxford; three children, Peter C. Gillies and his wife Johanna Myers of Lowell, Jane S. Pietrzak and her husband Joseph of Dudley, and Jennifer L. Landgren and her husband Donald of Oxford; a stepson, Andre R. Lamoureux and his wife Breanna of Sturbridge; a brother, Charles T. Gillies of Mississippi; a sister, Linda L. Hartung of Woodstock, GA; his former wife, Margaret W. Adams of North Oxford; seven grandchildren, Lori and Michael Pietrzak, Tyler Myers-Gillies, Kyra and Bridget Landgren, Jasper Roche, and Grace Lamoureux; and several nephews and nieces. He was born in Worcester, son of the late Harold C. and Violet D. (Mason) Gillies, and was a lifelong resident of Oxford. He graduated from Oxford High School in 1954, received his Bachelor of Science degree from Clark University in 1959, his Masters Degree in Education from Worcester State University, and his Masters of Natural Science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Mr. Gillies was professor emeritus at Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, where he was a professor for 49 years. Previously, he was a teacher at Oxford High School and North Brookfield High School, and at Manchester Polytechnic in Manchester, England. Mr. Gillies was very involved in the teacher’s union and the Fulbright Alumni Association, along with serving on the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Community College Council and the National Education Association. He held several patents for electronic instrumentation and wrote 2 textbooks during his career.

Mr. Gillies served on the Planning Board and the Board of Health in Oxford. He was the former athletic director at Quinsigamond Community College and coached high school sports in Oxford. He was a sports enthusiast and was a season ticket holder for the local Worcester hockey and baseball teams. Mr. Gillies was a member of Grace Episcopal Church and served on the Vestry many years ago. He played in the drum and bugle corps as a child and was a member of Kappa Phi during college. He loved gourmet cooking and enjoyed building models including ships and doll houses.

A memorial Mass will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 9, 2016, at Grace Episcopal Church, 270 Main St., Oxford. There are no calling hours. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his memory to the Quinsigamond Community College Scholarship Fund, 670 West Boylston Street, Worcester, MA 01606. Paradis-Givner Funeral Home in Oxford is directing the arrangements.

The family would appreciate anyone who knew Robert to leave a memory of him or story from his life in his online guestbook located at paradisfuneralhome.com