Wayne A. Gillis, 76, of Manlius, passed away Friday afternoon, April 5, 2019, at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse. He was born in Niagara Falls, N.Y., to Donald V. and Margaret A. Gillis and was a graduate of Lewiston Porter High School. He continued his education receiving his associate’s degree from SUNY Morrisville, a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University, master’s degree from Oklahoma State University and his PhD from Cornell University College of Agriculture. After an extensive career in agricultural sciences with the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, the Canadian Government Department of Agriculture and the University of Wisconsin, Wayne retired as the dean of agriculture in 1998 from SUNY Morrisville. He had a passion for collecting classic cars and was the president for several years of the Cazenovia Car Club. Wayne was proud of his classic cars, especially a 1967 Cadillac.
Wayne is survived by his wife of 47 years, Carol Lockwood Gillis; his children, Kristine Gillis of Taos, NM, David (Kristin) Gillis of Manlius and Kathryn (Oliver) Gillis-Grieb of West Milford, NJ; his sister, Donna (Mark) Beanblossom of MO; his brother, Michael (Janet) Gillis of Youngstown, N.Y. and his five grandchildren, Logan, Ruby, Georgia, Zoey and Boe. In addition to his parents, Wayne was predeceased by his brother, Paul Gillis.
A memorial service will be held at 6 p.m., Monday, April 8, at the Pompey Community Church, 2555 Berwyn Road, Pompey. Calling hours will be held on Monday from 4 to 6 p.m. at the church prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to NY FFA Foundation (NYFFAfoundation.org) in memory of Wayne. To leave a message of sympathy for the Gillis family, please visit michaelebrownfuneralservices.com.
