Gary L. Hillis

Gary L. Hillis was born on March 26,1956 in Kokomo, Indiana to Elwood H. (Bud) Hillis. and Carol (Hoyne) Hillis. He was the great-grandson of Elwood Haynes, auto pioneer, inventor of Haynes Stellite, and early developer of stainless steel. His aunt was Margaret Hillis, famed conductor and founder of the Chicago Symphony Chorus.

Gary attended Kokomo public schools and graduated from Haworth High School in 1974 where he was on the tennis team. He was also an Eagle Scout and loved operating his Ham radio. He went on to Purdue University where he graduated with a bachelor degree in 1978 and master’s degree in 1979 both in electrical engineering. He was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. In 1976 he married Deborah Fisher also of Kokomo. They met in high school and enjoyed 50 years of marriage. Upon graduation from Purdue, they moved to Fort Collins Colorado where Gary started his electrical engineering career with Hewlett Packard. Throughout his career he worked at various computer chip companies retiring from Broadcom in 2018.

As a youth Gary learned to sail at Lake Maxinkuckee in Culver Indiana, competing in sailboat races there and throughout Colorado with his wife on their 16’ Hobiecat. He was also an avid water and snow skier. But most of all he enjoyed spending time with his family, especially trips back to the family home in Culver.

Besides his beloved wife Debbie, Gary is survived by children, Faith (Ryan) Putnam and Jared, his four grandchildren, Seth, Chloe (Cody) Kucera, Madison Peters, and Hailey Peters. He is also survived by a brother Jeffrey Hillis, several nieces and a nephew along with several grand nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by a brother Bradley, and his parents.

In keeping with Gary’s wishes, cremation will take place.

A memorial service for Gary will take place on November 1, 2026 at 1:00 PM at Allnutt Funeral Service- Drake Chapel; 650 W. Drake Rd. Fort Collins, CO 80526. A reception will follow at Allnutt.