Sidney "Jim" Gill

James S. Gill/Sidney J. Gill

Jim was born April 7, 1937 at King County Hospital in Seattle, he passed away August 29, 2018 surrounded by his family. Jim was preceded in death by his parents Alfred and Nettie Gill. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Sharon; son James (Jennie); daughter Kathryn Collver; grandchildren, Karie Gill (Gavin Smith), Christina Gill, Shelby Collver, Jacob and Joshua Hart, Michelle Sydney Gill, Jason Gill; and two great grandchildren, Eleanor and Henry.

Jim had an odd situation with his name over the years. The first 18 years of his life he was James Sidney Gill, as his social security card states, but upon joining the Navy it was realized that his birth certificate says Sidney James Gill. Thus his family, friends, and the class of 1955 know him as Jim, but in the Navy and fire department he was known as Sid.

Jim was raised in Enumclaw, except for 3 years during WWII. He graduated from Enumclaw High School with the class of ’55. Jim attended every class reunion, helping plan many of them.

In 1955 Jim joined the Navy, went to M class A school, then served as an electrician aboard the Oriskany, the USS Princeton, and the USS Missouri in Bremerton. Afterwards he worked at Western Gear in Seattle and then Everett, where he met his wife Sharon Boyd, they married in 1963.

In 1966 Sid joined the Seattle Fire Department and was assigned to Ladder 6 on Queen Anne Hill where he worked for 26 years. Sid spent 15 years on Local 27’s executive board, where he attended the International Association of Fire Fighters Conventions on multiple occasions. He was also was president of Fire Fighters Family Medical, served on the board of directors for the Seattle Fire Department Relief Association for eight years, and as secretary-treasurer of Local 27’s building association for eight years. He was janitor for the union building for 10 years. Upon retirement in ’92, Sid joined the Retired Firefighters of Washington. After retirement, Sid was a claims processor for Fire Fighters Family Medical for 18 years. He was also a life member of Local 27, Washington State Council of Firefighters, and the International Association of Firefighters.

In his down time Jim enjoyed the outdoors. He would hunt deer and elk with his wife, parents, and brother and sister-in-law.  He also enjoyed fishing, having fished at Nimpo Lake, B.C. with his family for many years, and honeymooning at Bridge Lake, B.C. with Sharon. They also loved going on cruises and visited Australia and New Zealand, the Panama Canal, New York to Montreal, the Caribbean three times, and Alaska a number of times, as well as a Seattle to Hawaii trip with his brother Dennis.

Jim and Sharon raised a granddaughter for eight years, and two grandsons for 14 years.

“The only thing I would have done differently with my life is my honeymoon would have been two weeks instead of just one”. -Jim

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