Henry (Hank) Clinton Gill, Jr., of Sea Isle City, born May 31, 1945, passed away on July 17, 2023.
Hank was the beloved husband and dearest friend of Bernadette (Bunnie) Junod Gill for 57 years. Hank was the only child of Henry C. Gill, Sr. and Helen Peirce Gill. He will be dearly missed by his wife and as a loving and supportive father of Chris (Gill) and Steve Zellers and Henry Clinton (Clint) Gill, III. Loving and proud grandfather (Grampy) of Steven Jr. and Mia (Tomkins) Zellers, Zachary and Sarah (Duffner) Zellers, Sean Zellers and Justin Gill. Great-grandfather of Chase Zellers and great-grandfather to be of Nicholas Zellers. His family was his world and he often told Bunnie how fortunate he felt to have built the family and life they had together.
In his younger years Hank was an avid boater and built and raced hydroplane boats with his parents, Gil and Helen. His boat was Hanxtoy and he carried that memory on by buying his grandsons a boat as soon as they could drive, the zboyztoy. He went on to have several boats on which he enjoyed taking family and friends to sand bars, teaching his children to water ski, driving up and down lagoons or rescuing stranded neighbors.
Hank was a 1963 graduate of Collingswood High School, where he played football, wrestled, and ran track. He was one of the brightest mechanical minds you would ever meet. He was known throughout the neighborhood as “Mr. Fixit,” he loved to help. No matter what needed to be fixed Hank “had a tool for that” and a way to fix it. His family and friends often reached out with a “Hey Hank/Dad/Pop/Gramp, how do I fix this?” … and got a logical answer that fixed the problem. Some fixes required epoxy and duct tape, but he always had a solution and his knowledge will be missed dearly, but will also bring him to our memory when we are at a loss to fix almost anything from a toy to a boat.
Hank always loved to be behind the camera and enjoyed taking pictures of family and friends at events and of neighbors driving down the lagoon to enjoy a wave-runner or boat ride. His candid photos, sometimes while you had a mouth full of food, will be treasured keepsakes of the family because they demonstrate his love for everyone around him. Another favorite pastime was attending his grandsons’ sporting events, especially OCHS soccer games where his boisterous “GO OC” became a staple of warmup and cool-down laps and in later years banquets and even weddings. He also enjoyed teaching his grandsons how to build things and how things worked.
Hank worked in the automobile business and later in his career he consulted as an expert, a job he took pride in because it demonstrated his vast expertise and knowledge of the business. After retirement, Hank and Bunnie joined family and friends for various cruises throughout the world.
Those who knew Hank well knew he was a great family man and treasured each moment he spent with his beautiful wife Bunnie, children, grandsons and great-grandson, but he also didn’t like the spotlight on him. He was one of those people who quietly left a forever footprint on your heart doing generous things for others. Since he didn’t want undue attention or anyone to “go to any trouble,” as he would say, the family has decided to follow his wishes and not have a service. We ask friends and family who wish to remember him and carry on his legacy to give someone a big bear hug, tell a loved one you love them, help someone in need, enjoy a boat ride, cheer for someone on the sidelines, teach a child, or sling back a shot of Tito’s.
The family wishes to thank the first responders who came to Hank’s assistance and the person who called 911 and tried to help. Donations can be made to Upper Township Rescue Squad, 2028 Tuckahoe Road, Petersburg, NJ 08270 or the American Parkinson Disease Association – New Jersey Chapter.
