Obituary of John "Jack" Robert Gilliland

John ‘Jack’ Robert Gilliland
March 21, 1937 ~ November 11, 2024

On November 11th, 2024, we said good-bye to our much-loved father, grandfather and great-grandfather, at the age of 87 years. Jack follows home Joan, his wife of over 64 years, who passed away in July of this year.

He is remembered by his children, David (Sydney), Robert (Marianne), and Marnie (Andrew Bevan). He was very proud of his grandchildren, Adina (Frank), Tyrus (Tonya), Sharla (Kyle), Eric (Stacey), Nicole, Alexandra (Benjamin) and Rhys. He also took great delight in his great-grandchildren, Quinn, Ari, Tristan, Townes, Arlen, Callum, Sawyer, Paxton and Wren. He is survived by two nephews, Richard (Linda) and Douglas (Vanessa) and their families. He was predeceased by his parents, Alex and Irene (Birch) Gilliland and his older sister, Marjorie Ewen.

Jack was born at Stoughton, Saskatchewan on March 21st, 1937.  A true son of the prairies, he loved his early days on his uncle’s farm at Carievale almost as much as his Saskatchewan Roughriders. Upon graduation from the University of Saskatchewan, College of Agriculture, (Class of 1959), Jack joined John Deere where his career took him, along with his growing family, through stops in Regina (3-times!), Winnipeg and Burlington (also 3 times!). He retired from John Deere after a 33-year career but continued to work with Deere on a contract basis for a further 16 years. Family and friends were convinced that, if cut, he would “bleed green.”

Service to the community was an attribute instilled early in Jack’s life; he was a Queen’s Scout by age 16. He was the John Deere representative on the Canadian 4-H Council for 36 years, where he served on the executive including as President. He was also President of the Canadian 4-H Foundation. Jack was appointed a Honorary Life Member of 4-H in 2003. Jack also represented John Deere on the Board of Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmer program for 20 years and was recognized with the OYF Award of Excellence, as well as with an Honorary Lifetime Membership. Through his love of Canadian agriculture, he found his way onto the Board of Country Heritage Park in Milton, Ontario and, in later years, onto the Board of the Hanna Museum in Hanna, Alberta. Despite an extensive travel schedule, he also found time to coach his children’s hockey and softball teams.

His volunteerism was long admired by his family and it was formally recognized as well. In 1992, Jack received the Governor General’s 125th Anniversary of Confederation Medal and in 2002, he received the Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee Medal, both for community service.

Jack loved people and he took great delight in “working the room”, sharing stories and collecting new ones. The room could be as large as a convention hall or as simple as the produce aisle at the local grocery store. No matter the venue, he was deeply interested in everyone he met and had a strong reputation as someone who always had time for people.   

He and Joan enjoyed chasing around after family in Alberta, Africa, Hawaii and the U.K. They also travelled extensively through all Canadian provinces and many of the United States. When he wasn’t “puttering” in the yard, or pursuing family genealogy, Jack enjoyed the golf course, fishing and time spent with good friends, often all at once if the course had a water hazard.

A Memorial Service for both Jack and his wife, Joan, will be held at Cook Southland Funeral Chapel, 901 - 13 Street S.W., Medicine Hat, on Saturday, December 28, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. with Pastor Murray Jaster officiating. The service will be live streamed. Those who cannot attend but wish to experience the service may visit the Cook Southland website and select the View Broadcast button on the homepage at service time. Donations in memory of Jack can be directed to the Alzheimer Society of Alberta and the Northwest Territories, #306,10430 - 61 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta, T6H 2J3.  www.alzheimer.ca/ab/en (Condolences may be shared by visiting our website at www.cooksouthland.com).