Dale Gilliss (1941-2020)
Born in Chatham, New Brunswick, the youngest son of Perley and Jean Gilliss. Dale Gilliss,
beloved husband of Marie Gilliss (nee, Stewart). Dear father of Lisa Lee and Brydon (Noelle).
Cherished grandfather of Megan, Addison, Evan, Grayson, Audrey and Henry passed away on
Monday, December 28th. Dale is survived by his sisters Dru Gilroy (Bob), Elaine Gilliss (Carl),
and sister-in-law Grace Gillis and predeceased by Blanche Walsh (Lorne), Fowlie Gilliss, John
Gilliss (Gloria), Tom Gilliss, Gladys Thompson (Barry), and Addison Gillis (Grace).
Dale left New Brunswick as a teenager moving to Toronto, Ontario but he faithfully
returned home every summer to visit with family and friends. The Miramichi was
always in his heart.
Marie and Dale met in Toronto in 1962, were married in 1965 and recently celebrated their 55th
wedding anniversary. Early in their marriage, they moved to Acton, Ontario where they raised a
family and were active members of the community. In the summers, Dale could be found on the
Acton Golf Course and in the winters he participated in several recreational hockey leagues.
From Acton, Marie and Dale moved to Oakville, where they resided for a number of years
before moving to Guelph to be close to their son, Brydon, and his family.
Over the years, Marie and Dale enjoyed frequent trips to Los Angeles to visit their daughter,
Lisa, and her children. While in LA, Dale was a regular at the Rancho Park Golf Course. The
starters at the course and the people working in the coffee shop looked forward to his visits.
Dale was respected in the trucking industry where he spent his entire professional life at Harper
Detroit Diesel Allison with a career spanning 42 years. He started his work there as a licenced
mechanic and rose up the ranks to Vice President of Sales. During those working years, he
started most of his days with a morning workout amongst his friends at The Skyline Club.
Actions speak louder than words but everyone who encountered Dale quickly learned it wasn’t
simply a cliche. Dale was always the first one to pick a stranger up when they stumbled, offer to
get out of bed to pick you up late at night or make that extra day of travel to visit a family
member. It was that giving spirit that made their home a place of safety and generosity for family
and friends, new and old. You could always be sure that whatever few words you did get from
Dale, they would be laced with sharp wit and put a smile on your face, even if it took you a few
minutes to piece it together.
Dale passed away peacefully at Guelph General Hospital at the age of 79. He succumbed to
dementia which he had been struggling with in the last years of his life. Due to Covid-19
restrictions, there will only be a private family service. With the hope of capturing some of the
memories and moments that would have been shared in person the family has created a virtual
memorial online where family and friends can share a memory or photos of Dale . To view or
contribute to the memorial please CLICK HERE
In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy can be made through a donation to the Alzheimer
Society of Waterloo Wellington.
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Dale Gilliss Monday December 28th 2020..
Death notice for the town of: Guelph, Province: Ontario