William James Gillette

  William James “Bill” Gillette was born on January 2, 1928 in Drumright, Oklahoma to Raymond Walton Gillette and Marguerite Renfro Gillette.  On April 13, 2017 at the age of 89, Bill passed away at St. Jude’s hospital in Fullerton, California from respiratory failure stemming from stage 5 kidney disease.  He is survived by his wife of nearly sixty-five years, Helen Donna Upper Gillette, son Jeffrey Raymond Gillette and extended family members. While still a child, Bill’s family moved from Oklahoma to Los Angeles, California.  Bill graduated from Belmont High School in June 1945, having been a three-sport letterman in baseball, basketball and tennis.  Bill became an active member in the Belmont Alumni Association.  After graduation, Bill immediately volunteered for service in the United States Navy.  His mother had to sign for his underage enlistment.  Bill was trained to be the radio intercept operator in a two-seat carrier bomber.  While in route to the Pacific for action, the war with Japan ended.      After WWII, Bill used his GI benefits to attend the University of California at Los Angeles.  Bill met Helen at UCLA in January 1952 and they married on August 1, 1952.  At UCLA, Bill obtained a BA in education, followed by a MA in education from the California State University at Los Angeles.  Bill enjoyed a 36-year career as an elementary school teacher, then Vice Principal and finally as Principal during the last 20 years of his career in Orange County, California. Through Helen, Bill met fellow UCLA student Donald Arbogast and his future wife Sally.  Together, the couples purchased UCLA football and basketball tickets starting in 1955 and began a lifelong couples friendship and devotion to all things Bruin.  The couples watched all eleven of UCLA’s national basketball title teams, as well as Red Sander’s co-national championship football team of 1954. After retirement, Bill and Helen traveled extensively in the United States, Canada and Europe.  Bill and Helen were active members of St. Martin De Porres in Yorba Linda, California.  Bill was an avid golfer, playing as a young man at Fox Hills in West LA, and then as a charter member of Industry Hills in the City of Industry, Los Angeles, along with his golfing buddies.  Bill played in many amateur golf tournaments, winning several trophies and making a hole in one.  At 74, Bill shot a 76 at the notoriously difficult Eisenhower (The Ike) course at Industry Hills.    A private burial service was held on April 22, 2017 during which a Navy honor guard played Taps and performed the traditional flag ceremony at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Orange, California.  Helen and Jeffrey were comforted by the presence of close family members and the beautiful words of Father Richard Delahunty, who had confirmed Bill and Helen in 1993.  A memorial mass will be held at St. Martin’s sometime in May 2017.