Mr. Gilmen Velo Jr.

Gil Velo, 64 of Marysville, WA passed away suddenly on December 31, 2013. Gil was born February 5, 1949 in Minot, ND, the eldest of four children born to the family of Gilmen and Nora Synneva Quamme Velo. Gil graduated from Minot High school in 1967, and seven months later moved to Washington. He worked for Boeing, then joined Bayliner at Arlington in October 1971, where he stayed for the next 35 years. He started as an hourly worker assembling boats, then was a manager of boat assembly lines, lamination departments and windshield manufacturing shops. In later years he transferred to the corporate office in the Industrial Engineering Department. Some of his passions included camping, riding Harleys and RV'ing. He also enjoyed boating on Puget Sound, weekly bowling and especially sprint car racing where he made many friends with the drivers and crew. Gil and Jamie followed their favorite drivers to races all along the West Coast. He was known for his "almost famous" stews and chili's, no two were ever the same. Gil suffered a spinal aneurism on April 1, 2004, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. He endured this challenging condition with dignity, courage, and sometimes humor. He always had a smile on his face and a positive outlook. His wife Jamie Borup Velo was his constant cheerleader. She took care of and supported Gil through thick and thin. This condition didn't affect his greatest characteristics though, making friends and being a master of practical jokes. He is preceded in death by his mother, father and younger brother, Norm. Gil loved his family and friends very much. He is survived by his beloved wife, Jamie; sister, Lana (Terry) Conklin; brother, Bruce (Jamie Lynn) Velo; daughter, Tricia (Jay) Carlson; and son, Al (Shawna) Velo. Gil also leaves five wonderful grandchildren, Katie and Riley Carlson, and Alyssia, Abygail and Alfred (AJ) Velo; sisters-in-law, Jean (Ron) Hartman and Leslie Bradley; numerous nieces, nephews; and his two dogs, Taz and Mckenna. A celebration of Gil's life will be held Saturday, January 18, 4:00 p.m. at the Masonic Temple, 419 Columbia Ave., Marysville, WA. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Marysville YMCA or Pushing Boundaries Inc., Redmond WA.