Earl L. Giller

Earl Laux Giller, of Madison, CT, aged 70, died on April 28, 2014 at home surrounded by his loving family and pets. He was born on December 9, 1943 in Denver, CO to Dorothy Gans and Earl Giller, Sr. He is and will be dearly missed by his wife of 29 years, Laura Jarett; his children, Susanna Tuffy, Ethan Giller, and Geoffrey Giller; his two grandchildren, James Tuffy and Eliza Tuffy; his siblings, Jeanne Ellis and George Giller; and many, many others.

Earl graduated from Brown University in 1965 with a Bachelor of Science degree and received joint M.D./Ph.D. degrees in Neurochemistry from NYU’s School of Medicine in 1971. His career was dedicated to scientific advances in pharmaceutical development, and he taught numerous students at the Yale School of Medicine and at the UConn School of Medicine. Earl worked for Pfizer for many years and most recently as an advisor to MedAvante and as an independent consultant on CNS drug development; he also served on the board of The Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA). Earl authored over 80 peer-reviewed original articles, numerous abstracts, book chapters and presentations and edited two books on post-traumatic stress disorder. He served his country at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as at the National Institutes of Health.

Earl will be remembered as a loving, soft-spoken, kind man who enjoyed spending time in his garden and his kitchen. A caring husband, father, grandfather, friend and mentor, he will be greatly missed.

Earl's family would like to express their deep gratitude to the staff of Smilow Cancer Center and Watrous Nursing Center for their wonderful care, to Earl's neighbors at River Edge Farms Road, and to his many friends and colleagues for their acts of kindness and support during his illness.

Funeral services will begin 10 a.m. at the First Congregational Church in Madison, Connecticut (center of Madison at 26 Meetinghouse Lane, with parking behind the church). Burial will follow in West Cemetery in Madison.

Earl's family invites anyone wishing to pay their condolences to their home this weekend, May 3 and 4, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Please contact Laura if directions are needed.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Earl's memory can be made to the Closer to Free Fund, which jointly supports Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital. Checks can be made payable to Closer to Free Fund and mailed to P.O. Box 7611, New Haven, CT 06519-0611. Please earmark checks for the Melanoma Research Program (Dr. Mario Sznol). Secure on-line gifts can be made at www.giveclosertofree.org