T. Patrick Gillis

Pat was born on December 30, 1936, in Huntington Beach, California. After graduating from Huntington Beach High School, Pat attended Seattle University on a baseball scholarship, graduating with a Bachelor of Commercial Science in 1959. It was there that he met the love of his life, Sandra Ann Linquist, whom he married in 1961. He also cultivated a wide circle of friends that he cherished and entertained throughout his life.

Pat's passion for sales led him to a successful career in the paper products industry. He began at Scott Paper Company's Everett mill and quickly advanced, with promotions taking him and his family to Dallas, Denver, and Chicago. After a decade at Scott Paper, he returned to the Pacific Northwest to raise his family, accepting a sales manager position at the Weyerhaeuser Company, where he launched a new product line. Starting with a case of disposable diapers he sold to a JC Penney store in 1971, Pat was instrumental in growing the line of business into its own publicly traded company, Paragon, before his retirement in 1998. While he was proud of the substantial revenue growth he achieved, he considered his greatest professional accomplishment to be the dynamic sales and marketing team he built.

Pat lived a full life, marked by his love for travel, sports, and family. He took his family to Ireland, attended more sporting events than even he could count, including numerous cherished Notre Dame football games, and realized a dream of playing a round of golf at both Augusta National and St. Andrews. He found his favorite places to relax in Washington at Sequim Bay and Whidbey Island. A loyal supporter of Seattle University baseball, he was an integral part of the fundraising efforts that helped return the program to the Division 1 level in 2009 after more than 25 years.

He is preceded in death by his parents, James and Edna, and his brothers, Jim and Dan. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Sandy, his children Michele, Jim (Celia), Colleen (Chris Mounsey), and Tim (Amy), and his grandchildren Matthew, Shane, Shannon, Cole, and Claire.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 AM on Saturday, September 6th at St. Ignatius Chapel, Seattle University with a reception to follow immediately after at Campion Hall.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Seattle University baseball program Ways to Give - Seattle University Redhawks https://goseattleu.com/giving-redhawk-club