Joseph William Gillis, Jr.

Joseph William Gillis, Jr. was born to Joseph William Gillis, Sr. and Suzanne Morgan on December 14, 1982. From the time he was born, he was alert, inquisitive and wanted to be a part of everything going on around him. He loved pulling all the tissues out of the Kleenex box and then waited for a reaction. Within the first year following his birth, he was blessed with a little brother to keep him company, and with whom he could teach the tissue tricks to; and then, 9 months later, he had a second little brother to complete the clan. He was always happiest when he was with his brothers and when they could find new and creative ways to decorate Christmas trees with their underwear or chase each other around the tree until it was nap time. Joseph excelled in school beginning in his 6th grade year. He continued with his Advanced Placement Classes (AP Classes) through middle school, and through high school. He also loved playing his violin, and took private lessons for six years, as well as being the President of the High School Orchestra for several years. He spent his high school summer working at Discover Card and being a head lifeguard at Taylorsville and Centennial Salt Lake County Pools. He attended Utah State University for one semester after he graduated from high school and played the violin in the Utah State University Orchestra. As soon as he turned 19 years old, he sent in his mission papers and was called to serve in the Dominican Republic – East Mission. He loved the mission field and threw himself into “the work”. He served as a zone leader, and later served as secretary to the President for the remainder of his mission. He had a real knack for being able to help missionaries pack and take the maximum amount home without them having to pay additional fees or ever having to step on a scale. When Joe returned home from his mission, he was sealed to his mother and was immediately accepted to Brigham Young University. He majored in psychology and music. He attended classes one summer at BYU, and spent the remaining summers involved in the Especially for Youth Program. He graduated from BYU Magna Cum Laude and had scholarships to assist him with finances that allowed him to maintain almost entire financial independence while attending the University. After graduating from college, he moved to Dallas, Texas where he briefly worked for a debt consolidation company. However, he once stated that he felt like he was asking far too much money from people who did not have it. Joe continued with his education, obtaining a teaching certificate in order to teach in a bilingual Spanish/English setting. After his first experience teaching children Joe truly found his calling. He would continue to advance through various educational positions with his love for children continuously increasing. Even with the onset of the”No Child Left Behind” program, Joe was able to pull all of his students at least 2 standard deviations higher than they had been. Joe will be sorely missed by all of his family. He is survived by his mother Suzanne and Ken Morgan of West Jordan; his father Joseph W. Gillis of Sandy; his siblings: Edward Michael and Jennifer Gillis of Lehi; Matthew and Melenie Gillis of Herriman; Rebecca Morgan of Lehi; Tiffany and Bryant Rupe of Hooper; Paul and Holly Morgan of Roy; Nicole and Rick Dowlern of Maryland; numerous nieces, nephews, uncles, aunts and cousins. He is preceded in death by his grandfather Leslie L. Boothe, his great grandparents Owen G. Allen and Lorana Mecham-Allen, and his grandparents Edward Gillis and Dorothy Petris. Funeral services will be held Friday, May 31, 2019 at 11:00 A.M. in the Loa LDS Stake Center, 20 South 100 West in Loa, Utah, where friends may call for viewing one hour prior to the services. Burial will be in the Loa Cemetery under the care of the Springer Turner Funeral Home of Richfield and Salina, Utah.