Mr. William Thomas Gill, Jr., 84, died Sunday morning (June 5, 2022) at Hospice House Satilla in Waycross.
Thomas was born in Bacon County but grew up in Blackshear, Georgia. The son of William Thomas Gill, Sr. "Willie" and Marie Clark.
Thomas' siblings included
Thelma, Elvin, Dorothy, Caroline, Wayne, and Talmadge.
He graduated from Blackshear High School in 1956 and played basketball for the Blackshear Tigers under the fine leadership of Coach Wallace "Country" Childs when in 1954-55 the team won the state class "A" championship.
After graduation, Thomas joined the United States Army where he began a 23 year career beginning with the Signal Corps in the field of Communications. Early in his career he was a teletype operator for the 51st Signal Battalion where he spent 16 months in Korea. He then went on to be a Communications instructor at Fort Gordon, GA teaching teletype operating procedures.
In 1959, he married Marian Hilton from Waycross and they were blessed to be married 40 years and
have two daughters (Jullie and Beth) while Thomas' Army career took off. He spent 1966-67 in Vietnam with the First Calvary Division as a Division Cryptographic Security Officer, then upon returning to the United States it wasn't long before he received a telegram requesting him to be a Communications Specialist with the White House Communications Agency "WHCA" in Washington, D.C. where he had the privilege of serving under Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Carter. Thomas traveled the world during his tenure with WHCA and enjoyed working at the White House.
In 1978, Thomas retired from the Army and moved his family to Waycross where he began a new career with Farm Bureau Insurance Company. During his 21 years with Farm Bureau he climbed his way up the ladder to become Agency Manager for the Ware County office. Unfortunately, Marian was battling cancer and passed in 1999 prompting Thomas to retire from the Farm Bureau in early 2000. Not too long after he retired he crossed paths with a friend who casually mentioned that she knew someone who had recently lost her husband and wondered if he would be interested in meeting her. A first date with Anna Hoff of Baxley, GA eventually turned into their marriage in December of 2000 joining the Hoff and Gill families together, adding an additional daughter and son (Libbie and Allen) to Thomas' children. Thomas and Anna enjoyed 21 years of marriage as the family grew with grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Tom was preceded in death by his parents, William Thomas Gill, Sr. and Marie Clark Gill; his first wife, Marian Louise Hilton Gill; and his grandson, Josh Highsmith.
Survivors include his wife of 21 years, Anna Robbins Gill of Waycross; four children, Julie Highsmith (Rusty) of Waycross, Beth Gill Spivey (late Terry) of Waycross, Elizabeth "Libby" Carter (Ricky) of Baxley, and Allen Hoff (Deanna) of Baxley; 12 grandchildren, Chase Highsmith (Jessica), Kelli Taylor (Cory), Lauren Lester (Rick), Sarah Mills (Josh), Benjamin Spivey (Kessy), Amanda Carter (Kevin), Chelsea Kersey (Glen), Hunter Viterbo (Huston), Tucker Hoff (Jamie), Hannah Hoff, Lara Williams, and Mitchell Williams; and 17 great grandchildren, Autumn Collin Highsmith, Elliott Taylor, Audrey Taylor, Charlotte Taylor, Gage Lester, Grant Lester, Regan Lester, Tenley Lester, Amelia Lester, Griffin Lester, Levi Carter, A.J. Carter, Blake Carter, Landon White, Ryker Kersey, Brantlee Kersey, and Nashlynn Hoff.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday (June 8, 2022) at the Music Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow in Oakland Cemetery. The family will receive friends the hour prior to the service at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice Satilla, 808 Evergreen Way, Waycross, GA 31501, or Jamestown Baptist Church - Family Life Center Fund, 3800 ABC Ave., Waycross, GA 31503.
Thomas was born in Bacon County but grew up in Blackshear, Georgia. The son of William Thomas Gill, Sr. "Willie" and Marie Clark.
Thomas' siblings included
Thelma, Elvin, Dorothy, Caroline, Wayne, and Talmadge.
He graduated from Blackshear High School in 1956 and played basketball for the Blackshear Tigers under the fine leadership of Coach Wallace "Country" Childs when in 1954-55 the team won the state class "A" championship.
After graduation, Thomas joined the United States Army where he began a 23 year career beginning with the Signal Corps in the field of Communications. Early in his career he was a teletype operator for the 51st Signal Battalion where he spent 16 months in Korea. He then went on to be a Communications instructor at Fort Gordon, GA teaching teletype operating procedures.
In 1959, he married Marian Hilton from Waycross and they were blessed to be married 40 years and
have two daughters (Jullie and Beth) while Thomas' Army career took off. He spent 1966-67 in Vietnam with the First Calvary Division as a Division Cryptographic Security Officer, then upon returning to the United States it wasn't long before he received a telegram requesting him to be a Communications Specialist with the White House Communications Agency "WHCA" in Washington, D.C. where he had the privilege of serving under Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Carter. Thomas traveled the world during his tenure with WHCA and enjoyed working at the White House.
In 1978, Thomas retired from the Army and moved his family to Waycross where he began a new career with Farm Bureau Insurance Company. During his 21 years with Farm Bureau he climbed his way up the ladder to become Agency Manager for the Ware County office. Unfortunately, Marian was battling cancer and passed in 1999 prompting Thomas to retire from the Farm Bureau in early 2000. Not too long after he retired he crossed paths with a friend who casually mentioned that she knew someone who had recently lost her husband and wondered if he would be interested in meeting her. A first date with Anna Hoff of Baxley, GA eventually turned into their marriage in December of 2000 joining the Hoff and Gill families together, adding an additional daughter and son (Libbie and Allen) to Thomas' children. Thomas and Anna enjoyed 21 years of marriage as the family grew with grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Tom was preceded in death by his parents, William Thomas Gill, Sr. and Marie Clark Gill; his first wife, Marian Louise Hilton Gill; and his grandson, Josh Highsmith.
Survivors include his wife of 21 years, Anna Robbins Gill of Waycross; four children, Julie Highsmith (Rusty) of Waycross, Beth Gill Spivey (late Terry) of Waycross, Elizabeth "Libby" Carter (Ricky) of Baxley, and Allen Hoff (Deanna) of Baxley; 12 grandchildren, Chase Highsmith (Jessica), Kelli Taylor (Cory), Lauren Lester (Rick), Sarah Mills (Josh), Benjamin Spivey (Kessy), Amanda Carter (Kevin), Chelsea Kersey (Glen), Hunter Viterbo (Huston), Tucker Hoff (Jamie), Hannah Hoff, Lara Williams, and Mitchell Williams; and 17 great grandchildren, Autumn Collin Highsmith, Elliott Taylor, Audrey Taylor, Charlotte Taylor, Gage Lester, Grant Lester, Regan Lester, Tenley Lester, Amelia Lester, Griffin Lester, Levi Carter, A.J. Carter, Blake Carter, Landon White, Ryker Kersey, Brantlee Kersey, and Nashlynn Hoff.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday (June 8, 2022) at the Music Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow in Oakland Cemetery. The family will receive friends the hour prior to the service at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice Satilla, 808 Evergreen Way, Waycross, GA 31501, or Jamestown Baptist Church - Family Life Center Fund, 3800 ABC Ave., Waycross, GA 31503.
Mr. William Thomas Gill, Jr., 84, died Sunday morning (June 5, 2022) at Hospice House Satilla in Waycross.
Thomas was born in Bacon County but grew up in Blackshear, Georgia. The son of William Thomas Gill, Sr. "Willie" and Marie Clark.
Thomas' siblings included
Thelma, Elvin, Dorothy, Caroline, Wayne, and Talmadge.
He graduated from Blackshear High School in 1956 and played basketball for the Blackshear Tigers under the fine leadership of Coach Wallace "Country" Childs when in 1954-55 the team won the state class "A" championship.
After graduation, Thomas joined the United States Army where he began a 23 year career beginning with the Signal Corps in the field of Communications. Early in his career he was a teletype operator for the 51st Signal Battalion where he spent 16 months in Korea. He then went on to be a Communications instructor at Fort Gordon, GA teaching teletype operating procedures.
In 1959, he married Marian Hilton from Waycross and they were blessed to be married 40 years and
have two daughters (Jullie and Beth) while Thomas' Army career took off. He spent 1966-67 in Vietnam with the First Calvary Division as a Division Cryptographic Security Officer, then upon returning to the United States it wasn't long before he received a telegram requesting him to be a Communications Specialist with the White House Communications Agency "WHCA" in Washington, D.C. where he had the privilege of serving under Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Carter. Thomas traveled the world during his tenure with WHCA and enjoyed working at the White House.
In 1978, Thomas retired from the Army and moved his family to Waycross where he began a new career with Farm Bureau Insurance Company. During his 21 years with Farm Bureau he climbed his way up the ladder to become Agency Manager for the Ware County office. Unfortunately, Marian was battling cancer and passed in 1999 prompting Thomas to retire from the Farm Bureau in early 2000. Not too long after he retired he crossed paths with a friend who casually mentioned that she knew someone who had recently lost her husband and wondered if he would be interested in meeting her. A first date with Anna Hoff of Baxley, GA eventually turned into their marriage in December of 2000 joining the Hoff and Gill families together, adding an additional daughter and son (Libbie and Allen) to Thomas' children. Thomas and Anna enjoyed 21 years of marriage as the family grew with grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Tom was preceded in death by his parents, William Thomas Gill, Sr. and Marie Clark Gill; his first wife, Marian Louise Hilton Gill; and his grandson, Josh Highsmith.
Survivors include his wife of 21 years, Anna Robbins Gill of Waycross; four children, Julie Highsmith (Rusty) of Waycross, Beth Gill Spivey (late Terry) of Waycross, Elizabeth "Libby" Carter (Ricky) of Baxley, and Allen Hoff (Deanna) of Baxley; 12 grandchildren, Chase Highsmith (Jessica), Kelli Taylor (Cory), Lauren Lester (Rick), Sarah Mills (Josh), Benjamin Spivey (Kessy), Amanda Carter (Kevin), Chelsea Kersey (Glen), Hunter Viterbo (Huston), Tucker Hoff (Jamie), Hannah Hoff, Lara Williams, and Mitchell Williams; and 17 great grandchildren, Autumn Collin Highsmith, Elliott Taylor, Audrey Taylor, Charlotte Taylor, Gage Lester, Grant Lester, Regan Lester, Tenley Lester, Amelia Lester, Griffin Lester, Levi Carter, A.J. Carter, Blake Carter, Landon White, Ryker Kersey, Brantlee Kersey, and Nashlynn Hoff.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday (June 8, 2022) at the Music Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow in Oakland Cemetery. The family will receive friends the hour prior to the service at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice Satilla, 808 Evergreen Way, Waycross, GA 31501, or Jamestown Baptist Church - Family Life Center Fund, 3800 ABC Ave., Waycross, GA 31503.
Thomas was born in Bacon County but grew up in Blackshear, Georgia. The son of William Thomas Gill, Sr. "Willie" and Marie Clark.
Thomas' siblings included
Thelma, Elvin, Dorothy, Caroline, Wayne, and Talmadge.
He graduated from Blackshear High School in 1956 and played basketball for the Blackshear Tigers under the fine leadership of Coach Wallace "Country" Childs when in 1954-55 the team won the state class "A" championship.
After graduation, Thomas joined the United States Army where he began a 23 year career beginning with the Signal Corps in the field of Communications. Early in his career he was a teletype operator for the 51st Signal Battalion where he spent 16 months in Korea. He then went on to be a Communications instructor at Fort Gordon, GA teaching teletype operating procedures.
In 1959, he married Marian Hilton from Waycross and they were blessed to be married 40 years and
have two daughters (Jullie and Beth) while Thomas' Army career took off. He spent 1966-67 in Vietnam with the First Calvary Division as a Division Cryptographic Security Officer, then upon returning to the United States it wasn't long before he received a telegram requesting him to be a Communications Specialist with the White House Communications Agency "WHCA" in Washington, D.C. where he had the privilege of serving under Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Carter. Thomas traveled the world during his tenure with WHCA and enjoyed working at the White House.
In 1978, Thomas retired from the Army and moved his family to Waycross where he began a new career with Farm Bureau Insurance Company. During his 21 years with Farm Bureau he climbed his way up the ladder to become Agency Manager for the Ware County office. Unfortunately, Marian was battling cancer and passed in 1999 prompting Thomas to retire from the Farm Bureau in early 2000. Not too long after he retired he crossed paths with a friend who casually mentioned that she knew someone who had recently lost her husband and wondered if he would be interested in meeting her. A first date with Anna Hoff of Baxley, GA eventually turned into their marriage in December of 2000 joining the Hoff and Gill families together, adding an additional daughter and son (Libbie and Allen) to Thomas' children. Thomas and Anna enjoyed 21 years of marriage as the family grew with grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Tom was preceded in death by his parents, William Thomas Gill, Sr. and Marie Clark Gill; his first wife, Marian Louise Hilton Gill; and his grandson, Josh Highsmith.
Survivors include his wife of 21 years, Anna Robbins Gill of Waycross; four children, Julie Highsmith (Rusty) of Waycross, Beth Gill Spivey (late Terry) of Waycross, Elizabeth "Libby" Carter (Ricky) of Baxley, and Allen Hoff (Deanna) of Baxley; 12 grandchildren, Chase Highsmith (Jessica), Kelli Taylor (Cory), Lauren Lester (Rick), Sarah Mills (Josh), Benjamin Spivey (Kessy), Amanda Carter (Kevin), Chelsea Kersey (Glen), Hunter Viterbo (Huston), Tucker Hoff (Jamie), Hannah Hoff, Lara Williams, and Mitchell Williams; and 17 great grandchildren, Autumn Collin Highsmith, Elliott Taylor, Audrey Taylor, Charlotte Taylor, Gage Lester, Grant Lester, Regan Lester, Tenley Lester, Amelia Lester, Griffin Lester, Levi Carter, A.J. Carter, Blake Carter, Landon White, Ryker Kersey, Brantlee Kersey, and Nashlynn Hoff.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday (June 8, 2022) at the Music Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow in Oakland Cemetery. The family will receive friends the hour prior to the service at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice Satilla, 808 Evergreen Way, Waycross, GA 31501, or Jamestown Baptist Church - Family Life Center Fund, 3800 ABC Ave., Waycross, GA 31503.
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