was preceded in death by his son, Daniel Gillisse; daughter-in-law, Kathleen
Desmond Gillisse; parents Robert and Vivian Gillisse; sister, Kay Schmitt; in-laws
Nelson and Helen Meengs. He will be remembered by his wife of 65 years, Rosalyn
“Rose” Gillisse; children Robin Zamarron, Christine (Phil) Plomp, and Richard (Liz)
Gillisse; grandchildren Matt Plomp, Christopher Zamarron, Bonnie (Aaron) Ringler, and
Taylor (Amber) Gillisse; great-granddaughter, Lily Ringler; special sons Nick (Kay)
Markovic, Dylan, Nikki, Zoran (Croatia), Nakaya (Japan), Otaviv (Brasil –deceased),
Hrvoje (Croatia), Luiz (Brasil), Alejandro (Mexico), Carlos (Canary Islands), Nicola
(Croatia), Stjepan (Croatia), and their families.
After graduating from Wyoming Park High School, Jack attended Davenport Institute. He soon found his life’s calling in the floral business working for Stuyvesant, Ball Park, Grandville and Eastern Floral shops until retirement. His love of the theater took him from high school to the theaters all over West Michigan. Jack helped start new theaters, performed in over 80 plays, and especially enjoyed Circle in the Park, Children’s Theater. He performed with his sons, sons-in-law, and grandsons. In later years, his association with Master Arts Theater and traveling troupes out of Aquinas and Master Arts was especially meaningful.
Active in church all of his life, he and his wife, Rose, were charter members of Georgetown United Methodist Church.
A Celebration of Jack’s Life will take place in the future at his church. In honor of Jack and in lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to his favorite charities: Georgetown United Methodist Church Memorial Garden, 2766 Baldwin St., Jenison, MI 49428 or Master Arts Theatre, 75 - 77th St. SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49548 or Circle Theatre, Dan Gillisse scholarship, 1700 Fulton SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506. And as always, GO Blue! The family welcomes memories and messages in their guest book online at www.cookcaresgrandville.com.
