Obituary Daily Herald (Arlington Heights - Tuesday, February 16, 1999
A funeral Mass for Ronald Vincent Gillis Sr. 69, will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, at St. Peters Catholic Church, 1891 Kaneville Rd., Geneva. Fr. Anthony Pantyra will be the celebrant.
Born April 27, 1929, in Chicago, the son of Lester and Helen Mary (nee Wawrzyniak) Gillis, he died Sunday, Feb. 14, 1999, at home. Burial will be in Garfield Cemetery, Campton Township.
During World War II, Ron served in the Navy. After 20 years of service with the City of St. Charles, he retired in 1988, as foreman of the water department. He was a member of St. Charles Moose Lodge #1368.
Survivors include his wife of 40 years, Grace (nee DePauw); daughters, Deborah (Tom) Sakowski and Margaret Mendel, both of St. Charles; sons, Ronald (Kerry) Gillis Jr. of Elburn, Glenn (Karen) Gillis of Batavia and Cary Gillis of Elburn; and grandchildren, Megan and Amanda Gillis, Tracey Enzenbacher, Alexandra Sakowski, Tyler Mendel, Kyle Wiley and Carter Gillis.
In addition to his parents, Ron was preceded in death by his son, Matthew Gillis in 1991; and sister, Darlene Lang.
Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, at Norris Funeral Home, 100 S. Third St., St. Charles, where a liturgical wake service will be held at 7:30 p.m.
____________________
Son of Lester J Gillis (a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, a.k.a. George Nelson, a.k.a. Jimmy Johnson) & Helen née Wawrzniak (spelled variously). His father's name appears as Lester James Gillis on Ron's birth record but Lester Joseph is more commonly used. Ronald was the oldest of two children born to the couple. Sister Darlene Helen Gillis, born 11 May 1930 in Chicago, married Donald F Lang & died in Racine, WI on 15 Feb 1994 (not on FAG).
Much information is available about his infamous father & to a lesser extent his mother (both of whom were Public Enemy Number One on the FBI's Most Wanted List). Baby Face Nelson's large-scale criminal enterprises started January 6th, 1930 (when Ron was only 11 months old) & continued until he was gunned down in 1934. After his mother completed her sentence for harboring a fugitive (one year and one day) in 1935, she & her children led a life of relative obscurity as few associated the name Gillis with Baby Face Nelson.
Ronald married Grace DePauw on September 6th, 1958. The couple had six children together: Ronald Jr., Glenn, Deborah, Margaret, Cary & Matthew.
A funeral Mass for Ronald Vincent Gillis Sr. 69, will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, at St. Peters Catholic Church, 1891 Kaneville Rd., Geneva. Fr. Anthony Pantyra will be the celebrant.
Born April 27, 1929, in Chicago, the son of Lester and Helen Mary (nee Wawrzyniak) Gillis, he died Sunday, Feb. 14, 1999, at home. Burial will be in Garfield Cemetery, Campton Township.
During World War II, Ron served in the Navy. After 20 years of service with the City of St. Charles, he retired in 1988, as foreman of the water department. He was a member of St. Charles Moose Lodge #1368.
Survivors include his wife of 40 years, Grace (nee DePauw); daughters, Deborah (Tom) Sakowski and Margaret Mendel, both of St. Charles; sons, Ronald (Kerry) Gillis Jr. of Elburn, Glenn (Karen) Gillis of Batavia and Cary Gillis of Elburn; and grandchildren, Megan and Amanda Gillis, Tracey Enzenbacher, Alexandra Sakowski, Tyler Mendel, Kyle Wiley and Carter Gillis.
In addition to his parents, Ron was preceded in death by his son, Matthew Gillis in 1991; and sister, Darlene Lang.
Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, at Norris Funeral Home, 100 S. Third St., St. Charles, where a liturgical wake service will be held at 7:30 p.m.
____________________
Son of Lester J Gillis (a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, a.k.a. George Nelson, a.k.a. Jimmy Johnson) & Helen née Wawrzniak (spelled variously). His father's name appears as Lester James Gillis on Ron's birth record but Lester Joseph is more commonly used. Ronald was the oldest of two children born to the couple. Sister Darlene Helen Gillis, born 11 May 1930 in Chicago, married Donald F Lang & died in Racine, WI on 15 Feb 1994 (not on FAG).
Much information is available about his infamous father & to a lesser extent his mother (both of whom were Public Enemy Number One on the FBI's Most Wanted List). Baby Face Nelson's large-scale criminal enterprises started January 6th, 1930 (when Ron was only 11 months old) & continued until he was gunned down in 1934. After his mother completed her sentence for harboring a fugitive (one year and one day) in 1935, she & her children led a life of relative obscurity as few associated the name Gillis with Baby Face Nelson.
Ronald married Grace DePauw on September 6th, 1958. The couple had six children together: Ronald Jr., Glenn, Deborah, Margaret, Cary & Matthew.
Obituary Daily Herald (Arlington Heights - Tuesday, February 16, 1999
A funeral Mass for Ronald Vincent Gillis Sr. 69, will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, at St. Peters Catholic Church, 1891 Kaneville Rd., Geneva. Fr. Anthony Pantyra will be the celebrant.
Born April 27, 1929, in Chicago, the son of Lester and Helen Mary (nee Wawrzyniak) Gillis, he died Sunday, Feb. 14, 1999, at home. Burial will be in Garfield Cemetery, Campton Township.
During World War II, Ron served in the Navy. After 20 years of service with the City of St. Charles, he retired in 1988, as foreman of the water department. He was a member of St. Charles Moose Lodge #1368.
Survivors include his wife of 40 years, Grace (nee DePauw); daughters, Deborah (Tom) Sakowski and Margaret Mendel, both of St. Charles; sons, Ronald (Kerry) Gillis Jr. of Elburn, Glenn (Karen) Gillis of Batavia and Cary Gillis of Elburn; and grandchildren, Megan and Amanda Gillis, Tracey Enzenbacher, Alexandra Sakowski, Tyler Mendel, Kyle Wiley and Carter Gillis.
In addition to his parents, Ron was preceded in death by his son, Matthew Gillis in 1991; and sister, Darlene Lang.
Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, at Norris Funeral Home, 100 S. Third St., St. Charles, where a liturgical wake service will be held at 7:30 p.m.
____________________
Son of Lester J Gillis (a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, a.k.a. George Nelson, a.k.a. Jimmy Johnson) & Helen née Wawrzniak (spelled variously). His father's name appears as Lester James Gillis on Ron's birth record but Lester Joseph is more commonly used. Ronald was the oldest of two children born to the couple. Sister Darlene Helen Gillis, born 11 May 1930 in Chicago, married Donald F Lang & died in Racine, WI on 15 Feb 1994 (not on FAG).
Much information is available about his infamous father & to a lesser extent his mother (both of whom were Public Enemy Number One on the FBI's Most Wanted List). Baby Face Nelson's large-scale criminal enterprises started January 6th, 1930 (when Ron was only 11 months old) & continued until he was gunned down in 1934. After his mother completed her sentence for harboring a fugitive (one year and one day) in 1935, she & her children led a life of relative obscurity as few associated the name Gillis with Baby Face Nelson.
Ronald married Grace DePauw on September 6th, 1958. The couple had six children together: Ronald Jr., Glenn, Deborah, Margaret, Cary & Matthew.
A funeral Mass for Ronald Vincent Gillis Sr. 69, will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, at St. Peters Catholic Church, 1891 Kaneville Rd., Geneva. Fr. Anthony Pantyra will be the celebrant.
Born April 27, 1929, in Chicago, the son of Lester and Helen Mary (nee Wawrzyniak) Gillis, he died Sunday, Feb. 14, 1999, at home. Burial will be in Garfield Cemetery, Campton Township.
During World War II, Ron served in the Navy. After 20 years of service with the City of St. Charles, he retired in 1988, as foreman of the water department. He was a member of St. Charles Moose Lodge #1368.
Survivors include his wife of 40 years, Grace (nee DePauw); daughters, Deborah (Tom) Sakowski and Margaret Mendel, both of St. Charles; sons, Ronald (Kerry) Gillis Jr. of Elburn, Glenn (Karen) Gillis of Batavia and Cary Gillis of Elburn; and grandchildren, Megan and Amanda Gillis, Tracey Enzenbacher, Alexandra Sakowski, Tyler Mendel, Kyle Wiley and Carter Gillis.
In addition to his parents, Ron was preceded in death by his son, Matthew Gillis in 1991; and sister, Darlene Lang.
Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, at Norris Funeral Home, 100 S. Third St., St. Charles, where a liturgical wake service will be held at 7:30 p.m.
____________________
Son of Lester J Gillis (a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, a.k.a. George Nelson, a.k.a. Jimmy Johnson) & Helen née Wawrzniak (spelled variously). His father's name appears as Lester James Gillis on Ron's birth record but Lester Joseph is more commonly used. Ronald was the oldest of two children born to the couple. Sister Darlene Helen Gillis, born 11 May 1930 in Chicago, married Donald F Lang & died in Racine, WI on 15 Feb 1994 (not on FAG).
Much information is available about his infamous father & to a lesser extent his mother (both of whom were Public Enemy Number One on the FBI's Most Wanted List). Baby Face Nelson's large-scale criminal enterprises started January 6th, 1930 (when Ron was only 11 months old) & continued until he was gunned down in 1934. After his mother completed her sentence for harboring a fugitive (one year and one day) in 1935, she & her children led a life of relative obscurity as few associated the name Gillis with Baby Face Nelson.
Ronald married Grace DePauw on September 6th, 1958. The couple had six children together: Ronald Jr., Glenn, Deborah, Margaret, Cary & Matthew.
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