George Gilla was born on January 28th, 1934 to George and Ana Gilla in the living quarter of a tavern in the heart of Chicago, Illinois that his father ran. His parents travelled on a ship from Podkonice, Slovakia in 1929 through Ellis Island, New York and settled in Chicago to start their new life on American soil.
George, along with his parents and sisters Anne and Irene, would endure the Great Depression, which developed resilience, strong family ties and a strong work ethic that drove him to achieve great things throughout his lifetime. “Work and play hard” was a motto that George would exude to all who knew him.
Army Training
After high school graduation he proudly joined the United States Army at age 18. He trained intensely as a paratrooper in Kentucky. Then he moved to the mountains in Leadville, Colorado where he learned to ski. Skiing became a passion he pursued throughout his life, and thanks to his sister Irene’s invitation, George joined a ski club that took him to enjoy snow resorts across the nation with newfound friends.
Career Ambitions
After returning from the Army, George attended the University of Illinois at Navy Pier, Chicago where he earned his degree as an industrial engineer. He went on to design molds to create commercial and residential products for some of the most successful companies in the U.S. including Suncast and Eaton Corporation.
At one of his first jobs Stewart-Warner, he met his beloved wife-to-be Camille. About a year later, the happy couple eloped. Alas, upon calling their mothers with the exciting news, were ordered to have a proper wedding in a Catholic church. They indeed were married at Saint Hedwig’s church shortly thereafter on June 30, 1962.
Home Base
The Gillas first apartment was on Diversey Avenue in Chicago, then moved for a year to Tomah, Wisconsin for George’s job. However, while visiting his sister Anne in Westmont—a suburb of Chicago—George saw a simple house surrounded by fields and trees for sale nearby. It was a little fixer upper that tugged at his heart as he loved construction and home projects. He transformed it into a beautiful home with additions and decks in which he lived with Camille for 49 years.
Family Life
In 1968, George and Camille welcomed their first child Greg. Four years later their daughter Tanya was born, and their family was complete two years later when daughter Gail was born. The couple had a joyful family life watching their children play in the spacious backyard, attend school, get married and have their grandchildren.
As an adventure seeker and engineer, George hand-crafted his own boat to take to the waters of the beautiful city-side Lake Michigan. As his family grew, he bought bigger and faster boats in which to whisk
his family away on weekend adventures on Lake Geneva in Wisconsin where he encouraged his kids to water ski and otherwise love life.
George was truly a family man and his Slovak roots ran deep. Every two years, he would pack the fam into the van for a road trip for the biannual K Cousin Reunion (K standing for Kosturik, his mother’s maiden name). At these spirited reunions in which more than 100 relatives would convene somewhere in the Midwest, Northeast or Canada, traditions of Slovakian food, song and culture would be celebrated. The kids got to know their cousins while the adults reminisced about old times (in between rounds of golf, kielbasa, cards and more).
In 2008, George was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. His lifetime of athleticism running, skiing, lifting weights, and playing tennis and golf kept him strong and focused to fight the disease. He continued by his motto to “work and play hard”—in 2018, Camille and George moved out west to follow their California dreams and be near daughter Gail’s family and goddaughter Cheryl. He kept at his physical therapy and soaked up the California sunshine while watching his grandchildren play, surrounded by those who loved him.
Celebration of Life
George died on October 4, 2018 peacefully in his sleep of natural causes. His family today includes his wife of 56 years, Camille, son Greg Gilla, daughters Tanya Hayes and Gail Czyszczon, sister Irene Engh, daughter-in-law Ana Mois Gilla, sons-in-law Thomas Czyszczon and Thom Hayes; five grandchildren Felicia, Jacquelyn, George, Izabella and Mason; sister-in-law Evelyn Towalski, goddaughter Cheryl Castillo, as well as 10 nephews and nieces.
Services will be held at McLeod Funeral Home in Escondido, California followed by a military service at Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego, California.
A life celebration will also be held in spring 2019 in Chicago for relatives from all over to come together to remember the beautiful life of George Gilla.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18