He attended Fresno State University in Fresno, California but he graduated from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California with a Bachelor's Degree.
He served as an intelligence officer for the United States Army in the Pacific during World War II. After his discharge, he moved to Los Angeles, California.
He is survived by his daughter, Candida Gillis of Moscow, Idaho, and a grandson. He is survived by his brother, William Gillis of Walnut Creek, California.
Retired, in Moscow, Idaho. (January 2008)
Son of Ridgway Gillis and Marjorie Lyman Gillis.
High school classmate of famous San Francisco newspaper columnist Herb Caen.