James "Jim" E. Gillies

A man of his time is gone Jim Gillies 8/25/1930 - 5/20/2019 Jim was born August 25, 1930 to Joe and Martha Gillies and he passed away May 20, 2019 in the most peaceful way on the ranch where he lived most all of his life. Jim grew up on the Gillies Ranch, West of Philipsburg, attending grade-school at the Rock Creek School. He rode his horse a mile to the one room schoolhouse located at the Gillies Bridge. He often joked that he walked further trying to catch the horse than if he had just walked to school. He attended and graduated from Granite County High School. After graduation in 1948, he spent several years working on ranches and doing construction work, until he joined the Army in 1950. He was part of the Korean War Campaign, working as a Combat Engineer in Germany, manning and maintaining swing bridges on the Rhine River and re-building Germany after World War II. When discharged from the Army he continued to use his road building skills and worked on the construction of the Marshall Creek Road, Trail Gulch Road, and Kings Hill to name a few. In 1956, he married Lorraine Grimes. They lived in Philipsburg and he went to work in the deep mines, mainly The Scratch Hole. In 1958, he moved Lorraine and daughter Karen to the family ranch on Rock Creek. Karen was joined by sisters Kathy and Maria several years later completing their family that would be fourth generation Gillies' on the land. He continued to operate and work on the Gillies ranch the rest of his life, always working at least one other job to ensure his family was well taken care of; he sawed logs, drove log-trucks, ore trucks and continued operating heavy equipment. In the 1960s he operated his own sawmill on the ranch, and also mined sapphires in Cornish Gulch alongside his good friend Buss Hess, his father Joe Gillies and brother Bob Gillies. He will be remembered as a capable hard-working man with a love and pride for the era in which he lived, when "this country was built." The land was most important to Jim and he was very happy that his grandchildren, the fifth generation, each spent time during their formative years on the ranch and the sixth generation are growing up where he did. He was preceded in death by his parents, infant brother Jack and Lorraine Gillies. He is survived by companion and best friend Mary Thiel of Helena, brother Bob (Alice) of Missoula, daughters Karen, (Sam) Petersen, Kathy Gillies, Maria (Jamie) Conn. Grand-children Jenelle Petersen, Paul (Gen) Kulaski, Billie Ann Kulaski, Dan (Kira) Conn, David Conn, and great-grandchildren Sophia, James and Wyatt Kulaski, Titus Kulaski, Riley and Dillon Conn. Services will be at 11:00 a.m. on Wed, May 29th at the Philipsburg Cemetery with a luncheon to follow at the St. Philips Parish Hall. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Compassus Hospice, 19 Discovery Drive, Butte, MT 59701 or The Philipsburg Library, P.O. Box 339, Philipsburg, MT 59858.

Graveside Service

MAY 29. 11:00 AM (MDT)

Philipsburg Cemetery Philispburg, MT