in death by his beloved wife of 66 years, Barbara L Gill. Family was very important to Clyde, who worked
hard his whole life to make sure that they were taken care of. He is survived by his brother Alan Gill and
his wife Eva, his son Charles Gill and his wife Michelle, his son John Gill and his wife Patricia, his
grandchildren Melissa Frye and her husband Scott, Nicole Perullo and her husband Jarel, Connor Gill,
Ryan Gill and Megan Gill, and his great-grandchildren Lorelei Frye and Robert Frye.
Clyde was born in Lowell, MA on September 15, 1930 to the late H. Franklin and Nolia (Hopkins) Gill. He
was a member of the Lowell High School graduating class of 1948 and went on to receive degrees from
The Stockbridge School of Agriculture, Northeastern University and Anna Maria College. Clyde came to
Sandwich in 1951 to work on Roberti’s Dairy Farm. His milk delivery route brought him to the Dan’l
Webster Inn where he met Barbara, who worked as a waitress. They married in 1953. From 1953 to
1955 Clyde served his country in the US Army at Fort Eustis in Virginia. At the completion of his service
he and Barbara returned to Sandwich to start their family. Clyde and Barbara opened their hearts and
their home to many over the years and he will be remembered for his generous compassion and duty to
service.
For more than 30 years Clyde was a member of the Sandwich Police Department, beginning his career
on Halloween night 1958 as a special police officer. He joined the force on a permanent basis in June of
1962. His positions within the department included dog officer, safety and juvenile officer, and court
prosecutor. During this time he was also president of the Massachusetts Juvenile Officers Association.
When he retired in May of 1989, Clyde had attained the distinguished privilege of being the town’s first
Police Lieutenant. Never one to shy away from working hard, Clyde proudly held many other jobs
throughout his lifetime. In addition to his work at Roberti’s Dairy Farm, he also worked for AF German
Auto Parts, RF Morse, Orleans Auto Parts, Edible Arrangements and as a school bus driver, driver’s ed
instructor and plowing snow. Lt. Gill enjoyed serving his town and its people and spoke fondly of his
years as a member of the police department. He could be found every September at the SPD Clambake
lending a hand and swapping stories with his fellow officers. Clyde’s duty to his town extended into his
role as Town Constable which he held from 1969 to 2020.
Lt. Gill was a man of service and he spent many of his off work hours volunteering in his community. As
a member of the Sandwich Bourne Lion’s Club, Clyde could be found at town band concerts, town fairs,
Easter egg hunts and pancake breakfasts sharing his gregarious nature and infectious laugh. He was the
recipient of the Melvin Jones fellowship award. As a member of the First Church Sandwich UCC he
served as a youth minister during his early years in Sandwich and as a friendly face at their weekly soup
lunches more recently. As a volunteer for the Department of Veterans Affairs he helped support other
veterans by giving them rides to medical appointments at the VA hospital in Providence RI. He
dedicated over 3500 hours and 11 years of service to the DVA.
Readily sharing his warmth, kindness and humor, Clyde never met a stranger. A celebration of his full
and wonderful life will held at a later date. In lieu of flowers donations can be made in his honor to The
Sandwich Bourne Lion’s Club P.O. Box 197 Sandwich, MA or First Church Sandwich UCC P.O. Box 810
Sandwich, MA.
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