Former mayor and partner in Montclair law firm and leader in education, church and civic circles there, officer in National Easter Seals and United Way
Grant M. Gille, a resident of Spring Lake, N.J., died Monday, Jan. 11, 2016.
A Mass of Christian Burial for Mr. Gille will be held on Saturday, Jan. 16, at 12 noon at the Church of St. Uriel the Archangel, 3rd Avenue and Philadelphia Boulevard in Sea Girt, N.J. There will also be a memorial service for him on Monday, Jan. 18, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Montclair, N.J. For further information or to send condolences to the family, please visit www.obrienfuneralhome.com.
Raised in Teaneck, N.J., Mr. Gille attended local schools and graduated from Yale in 1960.
In 1961, he married Barbara Albright and subsequently served in Okinawa with the Army Security Agency.
After military service, Mr. Gille graduated from Washington and Lee University School of Law and moved to Montclair, where he was a partner for many years with the firm of Ferguson and Gille. He and Barbara raised four children, Grant Jr., Eric, Todd and Ashley.
Throughout his life, Mr. Gille was an outstanding leader in his schools and communities. In Montclair, he was active as a board member, officer and president of a number of volunteer, civic and church organizations. In 1976, he was elected Montclair’s then- youngest mayor.
Among his volunteer activities, Mr. Gille was president of the United Way of Northwest Essex, a board member of Yale Divinity School, president of N.J. Easter Seals, treasurer of National Easter Seals, and a board member of the Community Foundation of New Jersey and Mountainside Hospital.
He also received service awards from many organizations including the NAACP, Montclair Shared Housing, United Way, and the Arts Council of the Essex Area.
Published in Star-Ledger on Jan. 14, 2016