Obituary for Lawrence Elliott "Larry" Gillies

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Life Story for Lawrence Elliott "Larry" Gillies

Lawrence Elliott Gillies
April 1, 1915, - Dec 10, 2010.
Lawrence (Larry) Gillies was born in a farmhouse near the Ayr road and fourth concession northwest of Paris on April 1st 1915. He was the first son of William Gillies of Ayr and Anne Hogarth of England. He attended the White school near Ayr and finished his education in the twelfth grade at Paris District High School. The family, including two younger sisters, Marjorie Peacock and Doris Rutherford, moved to 61 Jane St. Paris as the depression years took hold. The few stories that evolved such as jumping from the CNR railroad bridge into the Grand River or wiring up pennies on the sidewalk to jolt the vagabonds wondering out from the junction usually involved his best friend Ernie Apps. Electrifying pennies grew into an interest in radio and electronics as these technological changes started becoming household commodities in the thirties.

“Larry” , RCAF, 1941
In 1940, at the senior age of 25, Larry answered the call to arms and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. After a short stint at CFB Clifton, over the pond he went and was stationed for the majority of the war years at an air force base in Yorkshire. He was promoted to Flight Leftenant charged with operating a radar station to sound the alarm on incoming Luftwaffe. Fortunately he saw minimal action and returned to Paris in 1945 for what turned out to be the rest of his life.
In Paris, he opened a radio repair and electronic appliances shop and expanded into television repair as these machines became living room centerpieces during the fifties. It was a business he conducted until his retirement in 1980.
In 1949, a young lady by the name of Jemima Sutherland walked into his shop to buy a toaster, whom upon Larry’s price quote, abruptly turned about and made the purchase across the street. Not to be deterred by his spendthrift customer, he did his investigation and followed her to Queensward school in the uppertown where he tried to interrupt her classroom teaching for genial conversation. Again rebuffed, and finally after numerous attempts, he never sold a toaster but got an acceptance to a marriage proposal. The marriage of Gillies and Sutherland on the last day of school, June 30, 1949 was the start of a 61 year relationship.
Shortly thereafter, upon the invite of his father-in- law, George Sutherland, the young couple moved into the country home between the 4th and 5th concessions on Highway 24A north of Paris. An only son, Barry,was born to them in April 1953 and the small family continued to live there until their move to Telfer Place, Larry’s last residence in 2004.
While Larry loved the technical challenges of television repair, his business acumen was less developed and his socialism shone through time and time again when customers would whimper how tight the money was and Larry would always respond that they could catch up with him later. Thankfully Maimie’s teaching job kept food on the table.
Larry was most noted for his hobbies which included trumpet playing in the Ronnie King orchestra, a local dance band of the ‘50’s and with whom he toured the regional towns with his best friend Don Munn. In the ‘60’s, Don and Larry’s interest migrated to HO scale trains which populated the residential basements. These locales became meeting rooms for grown men in railway caps on Friday and Saturday nights, much to the chagrin of the respective wives. But Larry missed the old steam trains roaring through the Paris junction and in respect of these times, he took a machining course and started building his own 10 scale steam engine. It was his 5 year labour of love and when cutting the grass around the myriad of train trestles in the backyard became a work labyrinth, Maimie decided he was better off gardening. The gardening took him to his 90th year when he finally hung up his hoe to move to Telfer Place.
In 1962, Maimie and Larry also built a cottage at Red Bay on the Bruce Peninsula and spent almost twenty very enjoyable summers with their Paris friends, Jack and Muriel Pickell. In those years, the fishing was excellent and these were the best quality times I recall with my father. Larry came from an era where child raising was 100% women’s work so he really was out of place in trying to relate to young people. While we were not bosom buddies, he was always rock solid there and for the life of him could not resort to forceful discipline even when his offspring fully deserved it.
Life always throws a few curve balls and that for the family was Maimie’s becoming blind in the mid sixties. This meant that Larry was now responsible for a handicapped person, a responsibility that, in spite of his outward mild manner, he has taken very seriously and devotedly to his grave. It is hard to imagine how two so different people could survive 61 years together but while Maimie could do the planning and organizing, Larry was always there to do the execution. That way the bills were always paid and the food was on the table. Larry accepted this unwanted twist of fate without complaint and complete devotion. This quiet strength of character is Larry’s legacy.
Maime and Larry, Telfer Place, May 13, 2007 61 years together
To his end, Larry was always thankful, appreciative, always a smile, never a complaint. He lead a very healthy, blessed if you will, life. There are few friends left to miss him. He is survived by his wife Maimie and his son Barry in Ecuador, a grandson Robert in Toronto and a granddaughter Kylene in Ottawa. He was one of the true sons of Paris, and to me, always “Dad”.