Obituary of Marvin R. Gillam

Marvin R. Gillam, 81, Summerfield, Florida, passed away on Tuesday, March 15, 2022.

Marvin was born in Washington, DC, son of the late Ernest and Pauline Gillam and stepmother Dorothy Gillam.  He retired from General Motors, Moraine, OH, where he was in skilled trades as a machine repairman for nearly 30 years.  He and Elaine raised their two daughters in Wilmington and Enon, OH, and moved permanently to Summerfield, Florida in 2002.  He was a member of the Belleview United Methodist Church.  He was a beloved husband, father, and grandfather who will be dearly missed.

Marvin is survived by his wife of 63 years, Elaine Gillam; daughters, Marla Wieck (Tim) of Oviedo, FL and Karla Wallace (Tom) of Denver, NC.  Grandchildren, Mariah Parks (Chris Dinnen) of Springfield, OH; Kari Gateley (Patrick) of Seattle, WA; Alison Lubyansky (Alex) of Novi, MI; Daniel Wieck of Wilmington, NC; Sarah Wieck of Oviedo, FL; and great grandsons Wyatt and Reese Dinnen; and Ben and Tyler Lubyansky.  He is also survived by sister, Linda Skates (Jim) of Anchorage, AK; brothers, David Gillam (Lori) of Boise, ID, and John Gillam (Trisha) of Fritz Creek, AK; and brother in-law, Dan Rankin of Stony Ridge, OH.  He is preceded in death by his parents and brother, Kenny Gillam.

Marvin enjoyed sports, playing softball, fishing, hunting and golfing.  He and Elaine loved to travel and belonged to several RV clubs throughout the years. They drove their RV several times to Alaska to visit family, fish and sightsee. 

Marvin never met a stranger and would start up a conversation with anyone. He had a way of finding a common connection between them and one of his many family, friends, or acquaintances.  He would ask you to follow in his footsteps, connecting strangers to friends and share stories that impact relationships in whatever small way to the glory of God.

A memorial service will be planned for a later date.