Individual Details

Ervin Gillis

(28 Jul 1919 - 26 Aug 2002)

Obituary: Ervin H. Gillis / Owned Coraopolis furniture store

Friday, August 30, 2002
By Pamela Gaynor, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Ervin H. Gillis, former owner and operator of a Coraopolis furniture store that bore his family's name, died Monday at Sewickley Valley Hospital.
Mr. Gillis, who suffered a heart attack, was 82.
Along with his brothers, Sanford and the late Martin, he ran the J.H. Gillis Furniture Store, which catered to residents of Coraopolis and other communities in the Ohio River Valley from 1923 until 1992.
The Gillis' father, Jacob, founded the store and broke his boys into the business early.
A graduate of Coraopolis High School, Mr. Gillis wasn't formally employed at the store until 1954, after his discharge from the Army, in which he'd enlisted during World War II.
But he'd been working alongside his father since his boyhood. At the age of 12, Mr. Gillis often accompanied his dad in the store's truck, helping to make deliveries in Imperial and Clinton, which at the time had many rutted dirt roads that weren't easy to navigate.
Because his father wasn't a skillful driver, Mr. Gillis frequently took the wheel when the only way to exit a customer's home was to back the truck several miles to a main road, said his son, Alan.
Both Alan and his brother, Gary, said Mr. Gillis had a talent for building relationships with customers and the sense of style needed to design store windows and floor layouts.
"He had a good eye," said Gary. "Customers loved him," often bringing him homemade cookies and pies.
"They trusted him so much, they'd often call and order things sight unseen."
Mr. Gillis, who was a founding member of Ahavath Shalom Temple in Coraopolis and Congregation Beth Samuel in Ambridge, was buried Wednesday in Coraopolis Cemetery.
His family suggested that memorials be made to the American Heart Association, 10 Duff Road, Suite 304, Pittsburgh 15235

Events

Birth28 Jul 1919Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States
Residence1930Coraopolis, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States
Residence1935Same Place
Residence1940Ward 2, Coraopolis, Coraopolis Borough, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States
Military4 Aug 1942Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Death26 Aug 2002Sewickley Valley Hospital, Sewickley, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States
Burial28 Aug 2002Coraopolis Cemetery, Coraopolis, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States

Families

FatherJacob Harry Gillis (1886 - 1960)
MotherAnna Marshall (1892 - 1960)
SiblingMartin D Gillis (1914 - 1979)
SiblingGrace Gillis (1917 - 1983)
SiblingSamford S Gillis (1929 - )

Notes

Death

Ervin H. Gillis, 82, a proprietor of J.H. Gillis Furniture,which was located in Coraopolis from 1923 to 1992, passed away on Monday, Aug. 26, 2002, in Sewickley, from a heart attack.Mr. Gillis was born in Northside Pittsburgh in 1920. He and his family moved to Coraopolis in 1923 when his parents, Jacob H. and Anna Miller Gillis, founded the furniture store on Mill Street. Mr. Gillis joined the business in 1945 following his service in the Army during World War II. He and his brothers, Martin and Sanford,built the business into a modern enterprise during the post-war years. He conducted the family furniture business with pride and integrity and included civic responsibilities to a life well lived.He was a man loyal to his convictions and one upon whom you could always rely. He retired from the business in 1989.In 1945, he married Pauline Yablonsky. They had four children, Sherri (Zedd), Alan, Gary and Eileen. Alan and Gary joined Mr.Gillis in the business in 1971.He was a founding member of Ahavath Shalom Temple in Coraopolis and Congregation Beth Samuel in Ambridge, as well as the Lions Club. Mr. Gillis and his wife enjoyed dancing and traveling. He graduated from Coraopolis High School in 1938.He is survived by his wife, Pauline Y. Gillis; his four children, Sherri Zedd and her husband, Chuck, Rockville, Md.; Alan Gillis and his wife, Catherine, Dade City, Fla.; Gary Gillis and his wife, Jodie, Moon Township, and Eileen Gillis, Sacramento,Calif.; five grandchildren, Erica, Amanda (Reeves), Nathan,Elizabeth and David, and a brother, Sanford Gillis and his wife,Eleanor, Moon Township.He was preceded in death by a sister, Grace Gillis, and arother, Martin Gillis.A funeral service will be held Wednesday, Aug. 28, at COPELAND CORAOPOLIS FUNERAL HOME, 867 Fifth Ave., at 2 p.m. with visitation at 1 p.m.Interment at Coraopolis Cemetery will follow the service.Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association, 10 Duf fRoad, Suite 304, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15235-3207

Endnotes

1. , "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KQZB-5FW : accessed 24 January 2016), Ervin Gillis in household of J H Gillis, Ward 2, Coraopolis, Coraopolis Borough, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United S (N.p.: n.p., n.d.).

2. , "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/J27S-TNP : accessed 24 January 2016), Ervin Gillis, 26 Aug 2002; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria (N.p.: n.p., n.d.).

3. , "United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K8TS-DWL : accessed 24 January 2016), Ervin Gillis, enlisted 04 Aug 1942, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States; citing "Electr (N.p.: n.p., n.d.).

4. , "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/QVVG-WJHM : accessed 24 January 2016), Ervin H Gillis, 2002; Burial, Coraopolis, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States of America, Coraopolis Cemetery; citing record ID 18 (N.p.: n.p., n.d.).

5. , "United States Census, 1930", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XCH6-6V6 : accessed 24 January 2016), Irvin Gillis in entry for Jacob Gillis, 1930. (N.p.: n.p., n.d.).

6. , "United States Census, 1930", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XCH6-6V6 : accessed 24 January 2016), Irvin Gillis in entry for Jacob Gillis, 1930. (N.p.: n.p., n.d.).

7. , "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KQZB-5FW : accessed 24 January 2016), Ervin Gillis in household of J H Gillis, Ward 2, Coraopolis, Coraopolis Borough, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United S (N.p.: n.p., n.d.).

8. , "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KQZB-5FW : accessed 24 January 2016), Ervin Gillis in household of J H Gillis, Ward 2, Coraopolis, Coraopolis Borough, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United S (N.p.: n.p., n.d.).

9. , "United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K8TS-DWL : accessed 24 January 2016), Ervin Gillis, enlisted 04 Aug 1942, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States; citing "Electr (N.p.: n.p., n.d.).

10. , "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/J27S-TNP : accessed 24 January 2016), Ervin Gillis, 26 Aug 2002; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria (N.p.: n.p., n.d.).

11. , "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/QVVG-WJHM : accessed 24 January 2016), Ervin H Gillis, 2002; Burial, Coraopolis, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States of America, Coraopolis Cemetery; citing record ID 18 (N.p.: n.p., n.d.).

12. , "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/J27S-TNP : accessed 24 January 2016), Ervin Gillis, 26 Aug 2002; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria (N.p.: n.p., n.d.).

13. , "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/QVVG-WJHM : accessed 24 January 2016), Ervin H Gillis, 2002; Burial, Coraopolis, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States of America, Coraopolis Cemetery; citing record ID 18 (N.p.: n.p., n.d.).